The Defense Ministry is considering seeking a record-high budget of up to ¥5.2 trillion for fiscal 2016 from next April, following spending hikes over the past three years under the administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a senior ministry official said.

The budget request will likely include ¥140 billion in U.S. military realignment costs, which will cover the controversial plan to relocate U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma within Okinawa Prefecture. The amount is the same as the figure earmarked in the fiscal 2015 budget.

The nation's defense spending had been on a declining trend since peaking at ¥4.96 trillion in fiscal 2002, but has risen for three straight years since fiscal 2013 following the launch of the new Abe government in December 2012.