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Japan is one of the world's richest countries but it's Constitution prevents it from having a military.
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The country's self-defense forces are among the most technologically advanced on the planet.
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But have not been involved in any conflict since their formation after World War two.
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That could one day change.
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Under the leadership of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe a the island nation has ramped up defense spending over fears about North Korea's nuclear program and China's growing air and sea power.
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So just how strong is Japan's military?
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Japan spends around 1% of its GDP on its self-defense forces making it one of the world's biggest military spenders.
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The country has beefed up its defense budget for over seven years in a row.
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Spending five point two trillion yen for forty seven point six billion dollars in 2018.
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That figure is still dwarfed by the United States.
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Which spent six hundred eighty six billion dollars in its neighbor China which spent under seventy five million dollars.
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The country's planning to increase defense spending going forward.
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Outlining roughly 250 billion dollars to spend over the next five years a lot of the spending will be on US equipment.
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In order to narrow the trade surplus Japan has with the United States and easie friction with President Donald Trump.
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Prime Minister Shinzo Abe a was reelected in 2017 on a pledge to take a tough approach to Pyongyang.
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Japan's Ministry of Defense has sought 5.3 trillion yen to be spent in 2019 alone to upgrade the country's defenses from North Korean ballistic missiles.
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Despite the rogue states leader Kim jong-un promising to abandon the country's nuclear weapons.
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Japan remains extremely wary of their Pacific neighbor a white paper from the country's Ministry of Defense in 2018 labeled North Korea's Japan's most serious and pressing threat.
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Japan's armed forces has around 247 thousand active personnel.
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679 combat tanks and more than 3,000 armored fighting vehicles.
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At sea the country maintains four helicopter carriers 36 destroyers and 17 submarines.
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In the skies the country has 285 aircraft including f15 and f2 fighters.
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Despite having such firepower the country's armed forces are meant to be purely for self-defense.
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In The aftermath of Japan's defeat to Allied forces in world war ii a clause was created in the country's new constitution which outlawed war as a means to settle international disputes.
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In strictly legal terms Japan's self-defense forces are not military, but extensions of the country's police force.
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Debates have raged for decades in the country over interpretation of the Constitution and if the clause should be changed.
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Prime Minister Abe a is trying to revise the country's constitution by 2020 to legitimize the use of Japan's self-defense forces.
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But will need a two-thirds majority in both houses of Japan's government and a referendum in order to pass.
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As the only nation to have suffered a devastation of nuclear attacks Japan has long had a policy against weaponizing nuclear technology.
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But like with the Constitution some politicians have argued the policy needs to change in the 21st century in order to defend the country against new threats.
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But any move in this direction will be met with fierce opposition at home.
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Despite possible changes to the Constitution. It is still unlikely that we will see Japanese armed forces in combat anytime soon.
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But the country's recent joint exercises with the UK Australia in India.
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Chill that Japan is making its regional rivals aware that they have allies who might help out in times of trouble.