The Foreign Ministry on Friday announced a budget request that included ¥66.2 billion ($457 million) to strengthen efforts to respond to information warfare, such as fighting against false information.
The total amount of funds sought in the budget request for the fiscal year beginning April 2025 is ¥814.6 billion, up 12.3% from the initial budget for the previous year.
To better counter disinformation, the ministry plans to use artificial intelligence and other technologies to improve the information collection and analysis capabilities of the ministry and overseas diplomatic missions.
It will also strengthen the monitoring of false information and dissemination of accurate information to the rest of the world to fight information manipulation.
The budget request includes ¥5.1 billion to allow Japan to give defense equipment to a wider range of countries, mainly those in the Indo-Pacific region, under its official security assistance framework for providing such items to like-minded countries. The ministry hopes to boost its OSA spending further by filing a funding request without specifying the amount it is seeking.
The ministry is asking for ¥137 billion for measures to maintain and strengthen a free and open international order based on the rule of law, including the OSA-related costs.
The budget request is also calling for ¥84.3 billion for economic diplomacy. The ministry will help Japanese companies expand overseas by utilizing economic officers at diplomatic missions in Southeast Asia and elsewhere.
The ministry is seeking funding for measures related to war-torn Ukraine and Palestine, without saying how much.
According to the budget request, the ministry aims for a net increase of about 130 workers in its entire staff following a rise in the number of officials leaving the ministry, particularly young people. Meanwhile, it will not establish new diplomatic missions.