No sooner had we even begun to explore our vision of Japanese capitalist life than the Wall Street Journal, which we don't hold in high regard, broke the news that Japan is demanding a record 9 trillion yen for its 2027 military budget. Western sources place the military budget range between $55 and $71 billion. To justify such colossal expenditures, the primary focus is on intelligence, AI-based decision-making for military command and control and awareness, naval strike weapons