TOKYO -- Policymakers in Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party will push for a steep increase in the country's defense spending and capabilities as Tokyo eyes China's military buildup and tensions in the Taiwan Strait.

Two LDP groups, the National Defense Division and the Research Commission on National Security, agreed at a meeting Monday to seek greater spending on necessary defense equipment beyond outlays already planned through fiscal 2023. They also recommended sharply increasing research and development spending on next-generation fighter jets and other arms, as well as bolstering Japan's defense industry.

Citing China's buildup, the LDP panels stressed the need to strengthen Japan's defense capabilities at an unprecedented pace, echoing Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi's statements in a Nikkei interview last week. Their recommendations will be submitted to Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's government soon.

They also received a draft of the Defense Ministry's 2021 white paper on Monday, which stressed Japan's interest in the East Asian security landscape and Taiwan in particular. The document, to be finalized as early as summer, called stability in the Taiwan Strait important both for Japan's security and that of the international community.

Japan's annual defense white paper has never explicitly discussed the Taiwan Strait. The Monday draft also stated that the military balance between mainland China and Taiwan has shifted in favor of Beijing, and that the gap is growing every year. The comments follow the joint statement by Suga and U.S. President Joe Biden from their April summit, in which the countries' leaders explicitly mentioned Taiwan for the first time in 52 years.

An MH-60R helicopter takes off from the flight deck as guided-missile destroyer USS Mustin conducts routine operations in the Taiwan Strait in August 2020. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. Navy)

The draft paper dedicated a section to U.S.-China tensions, anticipating that the technological rivalry between the two powers will intensify.

The Defense Ministry's document also cited the danger posed by climate change to national security and stability for the first time. Many countries have begun to view climate change as a national security issue, it said.

Global warming could spur greater conflicts over land and resources, the draft said, while certain countries could take advantage of new sea lanes created by melting Arctic ice to bolster their military capabilities.

Climate security has emerged as a key concern in the U.S. and Europe, where military figures are commenting more on the risks. Japan likely aims to signal interest in climate as a national security threat with its new white paper.