The Japanese Defense Ministry has decided to auction some equipment used by the country's military for the first time ever to increase the budget amid the difficult financial situation, Defense Minister Taro Kono said on Friday
TOKYO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd July, 2020) The Japanese Defense Ministry has decided to auction some equipment used by the country's military for the first time ever to increase the budget amid the difficult financial situation, Defense Minister Taro Kono said on Friday.
Although the defense budget has been increasing for eight years in a row and now amounts to 5.3 trillion Yen ($49 billion), the ministry considers the financial situation to be tough. The auction will take place on July 26.
"Finance Minister Taro Aso told us to think about how to increase the budget, and I hope that in the future we will be able to get funds for at least one F-35 fighter jet. All funds will go to the state treasury, but I think that the efforts of the defense ministry will be taken into account during the [allocation] of the budget," Kono said, as quoted by the NHK broadcaster.
In total, 30 items, including a control stick of a Kawasaki C-1 transport aircraft and a helmet used by an air force pilot, will be put up for sale.
