Business investment was also strong, adding more to the growth rate than the military outlays.
Nor that they are increasing their military outlays and conducting air raid drills.
They could do this by cutting taxes or raising outlays, military or civilian.
That should shave a few billion dollars from the proposed military outlays of $293.8 billion in 1990.
It is very hard to understand why military outlays cannot be reduced by at least one-third over the next five years.
Excluding the $7.3 billion military outlay, orders edged down just one-tenth of 1 percent.
But nobody knows what that means in terms of forces or weapons or stockpiles, above and beyond planned military outlays for the next five years.
Since 1981, total military outlays have nearly doubled from $157.5 billion.
This year, when Pentagon spending is expected to be frozen, Japan's military outlays will rise 5.9 percent, to $31.4 billion.
That means a real cut in military outlays.