According to Asahi, the Defense Ministry plans to request a substantial increase in the defense budget for the next fiscal year, using the U.S.-Japan joint statement issued by President Biden and Prime Minister Suga in April as a justification for allocating an unprecedentedly high amount of money for purchasing expensive defense hardware. The ministry has reportedly concluded that Japan should drastically increase its defense spending to comply with the sentence in the bilateral document that reads: “Japan resolved to bolster its own national defense.” The ministry also cites China’s rapid military buildup and aggressive maritime operations in the South and East China Seas as a reason for a sizable increase in the defense budget. The daily added that some ministry officials and members of the LDP defense clique are even aiming to do away with the country’s long-standing 1% GDP ceiling for annual defense spending.