While China has expanded its science and technology budget more than elevenfold, Japan’s has barely grown. Continued austerity and tax increases risk weakening national defense, infrastructure, and research capacity. This article argues that without strategic public investment, Japan may decline into a technologically inferior nation.

While China has expanded its budget more than elevenfold, Japan’s has increased only 1.05 times.
2018-01-08.
The following continues from the previous section.

Invest in infrastructure and science and technology.
Free from the self-serving intentions of the Ministry of Finance, what must be done for the people to prosper?
First, austerity must be abandoned immediately, and fiscal policy must invest in key sectors to prevent Japan from becoming a “developing nation.”
The first is national defense.
Japan’s defense spending is constrained by the limit of “within 1% of GDP,” meaning that when GDP shrinks, defense spending is cut as well.
Defense expenditure should in fact be determined according to necessity.
While purchasing weapons from the United States is acceptable, it would be foolish to reduce personnel costs of the Self-Defense Forces to compensate.
The second is infrastructure development.
Much of Japan’s infrastructure has aged.
Incidents like the 2012 Sasago Tunnel ceiling collapse could occur across the country.
According to expert estimates, unless approximately 28 trillion yen is invested in infrastructure over the next 50 years, many bridges, tunnels, and ports will become unusable.
The third is social security.
Funds must continue to be supplied to sectors where demand will increase for some time to come, such as healthcare, nursing care, and pensions.
The fourth is the science and technology budget.
Looking at changes in science-related spending with the year 2000 set at 100, Japan has barely maintained a flat line, with almost no increase.
Compared with other countries, the gap is stark.
China in particular has dramatically increased its science and technology budget.
While China has expanded its budget more than elevenfold, Japan’s has increased only 1.05 times (Figure 3).
Researchers at Japanese universities and companies are increasingly in non-regular employment and are no longer able to conduct proper basic research.
Even the science and technology that once supported Japan’s foundation is becoming inferior.
It is precisely in areas like science and technology, where results are less immediately visible, that the government must invest.
Failing to do so is the true postponement of burdens onto future generations.
We must not forget that present-day Japan stands upon the investments of past Japanese generations.
Unless the people gain a correct understanding and awaken from the Ministry of Finance’s indoctrination, Japan will inevitably become a “technologically inferior nation,” with crumbling infrastructure, weakened defense capabilities, and constant fear of external threats.