Kishida prioritizes arms buildup, reversing low birthrate

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Monday that Japan faces the severest security environment in the region since the end of World War II and pledged to push a military buildup under a newly adopted security strategy, as well as tackle rapidly declining births so the country can sustain national strength.
Kishida’s government in December adopted key security and defense reforms, including a counterstrike capability that breaks from the country’s exclusively self-defense-only postwar principle.
Japan says the current deployment of missile interceptors is insufficient to defend it from rapid weapons advancement in China and North Korea.