News analysis

Japan wins support of G-7 nations for its stronger defence posture

Japan's defence budget will be doubled within five years, and it's military will acquire counterstrike capabilities under sweeping changes to its defence policy. PHOTO: AFP
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TOKYO – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida returned from a seven-day, five-country trip on Sunday with the wind in his sails, having won the backing of fellow Group of Seven (G-7) leaders for a radical overhaul to its pacifist security posture.

The whirlwind trip came as Japan, which holds the rotating presidency of the bloc of seven industrialised democracies in 2023, sought a display of unity against challenges to the global rules-based order.

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