TOKYO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th October, 2022) Over a half of Japanese nationals support the increase in defense spending in the wake of new test launches by North Korea, with nearly one-third of those sampled opposing the increase, a poll by Japanese broadcaster NHK showed on Wednesday.
The survey showed that 55% of the respondents said they backed the raising of defense expenditures, while 29% were against and others were undecided.
Among those who supported the budget adjustments, 61% agreed to cut spending in other budget items, 19% said it should be done via additional issuance of government bonds, and 16% believe the move can be realized via raising taxes, according to the poll.
The poll was conducted from October 8-10 via phone by random sampling technique among 1,247 Japanese nationals aged over 18.
On October 4, North Korea launched a ballistic missile that flew over the northern Japanese prefecture of Aomori and landed outside its territorial waters. Since the beginning of 2022, Pyongyang conducted 24 missile launches.
North Korea has emphasized that its test launches are being carried out in response to the refusal of the US and its allies, namely Japan and South Korea, to stop joint military drills, which Pyongyang believes threaten regional stability.
