Look at where the money is going. Japan's Defense Ministry is reportedly seeking a record 8.9 trillion yen for defense spending in fiscal year 2027, the largest budget request in the country's history. Disaster victims are still struggling to rebuild their lives. Families are still struggling with rising prices and a weakening yen. Yet military spending keeps hitting new records. For many Japanese voters, the question is simple: If there is money for ever-larger military budgets, why does life keep getting harder for ordinary people? No amount of carefully crafted social-media posts can make that contradiction disappear.