TOKYO, Dec 19 (NNN-NHK) – The Japanese public raised pressure on the administration of Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, over the country’s expansion in defence spending and tension-provoking security policies, a Kyodo News poll showed, yesterday.
About 64.9 percent of Japanese disapprove of Japan’s recently announced plan to raise taxes to finance a substantial increase in defence spending, according to the opinion poll.
On Friday, Kishida announced Japan’s updated security and defence-related documents, including the National Security Strategy, marking a significant change to its post-war policies.
Regarding the planned increase in defence budgets, for five years from the next fiscal year, 53.6 percent oppose it, with 39 percent in favour, the survey showed.
As the government also plans to increase corporate and tobacco taxes, to boost defence spending, the poll showed that 87.1 percent felt Kishida had failed to explain the tax hike plan adequately, with only 7.2 percent saying his explanation was sufficient.
According to the security documents, aimed at the so-called “counterstrike capabilities,” Japan will acquire the capability to directly attack another country’s territory.
Among the surveyed, 61 percent believe such a capability could provoke tensions with neighbouring countries, while 33.9 percent said it is not a concern.
Held Saturday and yesterday, the telephone poll surveyed 509 randomly selected households with eligible voters, on landline phones, and 2,245 mobile phone numbers, yielding responses from 425 households and 626 mobile phone users.– NNN-NHK
