Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has instructed the government to allocate 43 trillion yen (about $317.9 billion) for defense for the period from 2023 to 2027, Kyodo news agency reported.

According to the agency, the order was given at a meeting of the head of the Japanese Cabinet with Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki and Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada.

By 2027 the Japanese authorities intend to more than double expenditures on defense, bringing their share to 2% of the country's GDP.

Under its national defense plan, Japan is considering nearly tripling the number of self-defense forces equipped with ballistic missile interceptors on the country's remote southwestern islands by the end of 2031. The agency also reports that Japan is considering buying up to 500 Tomahawk cruise missiles from the United States by about fiscal year 2027.

As specified, the Japanese government is concerned about the deteriorating security situation around the country due to the development of the nuclear missile program of the DPRK, the increasing power of China and the Ukrainian conflict, due to which the Japanese authorities intend to strengthen the country's defense capabilities within five years.