Pentagon says Japan must meet 'global standard' and spend 5% of GDP on defense

[Zorro]

The Pentagon has set a “global standard” for Japan and other U.S. allies to spend 5% of gross domestic product on defense, in the first official confirmation that Washington is asking Tokyo to pump up its defense budget even further.

In a statement given to The Japan Times on Friday, Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell pointed to a majority of NATO nations that have signed on to U.S. requests to boost defense spending to the 5% level, saying that “European allies are now setting the global standard for our alliances, especially in Asia, which is 5% of GDP spending on defense.”

Asked whether Parnell’s remarks apply specifically to Japan, a U.S. defense official said it “is inclusive for all of our allies across the Asia-Pacific region, including Japan.”

Both allies had been mum on whether the U.S. would press Japan specifically to hit the 5% target, though Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told a Senate panel Wednesday that there is now a "new standard for allied defense spending that all of our allies around the world, including in Asia, should move to."

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/06/20/japan/japan-us-defense-spending-gdp/

What a way to influence friends. Japan just cancelled a high-level meeting with the administration because of this demand.