The Defense Agency will request 5.0278 trillion yen from the 2002 general account budget, an increase of 1.8 percent from this year's initial budget, according to a plan submitted to the Liberal Democratic Party's defense panel Wednesday.

The increase is partly due to the agency's plan to continue carrying out its five-year defense buildup program, introduced last year, by securing 317.8 billion yen of the 2 trillion yen flagged under next year's budget for measures to implement structural reforms.

The budget request also includes 8.3 billion yen for ongoing joint research with the United States on a ballistic missile defense program, an increase from this year's 3.78 billion yen, agency sources said.

The agency's budget request -- excluding costs for personnel and provisions -- has been cut 10 percent to 2.453 trillion yen, as part of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's plan to reign in spending for fiscal 2002.

The Defense Agency hopes to make use of the special budget quota set aside for seven priority areas to fund such projects as updating information and communications networks, developing new weapons and reinforcing the Self-Defense Forces' antidisaster capabilities.

The seven areas include the promotion of information technology, scientific technology, urban renewal and preservation of the environment.

The development of high-tech tanks and successor models to the P-3C patrol plane and C-1 cargo aircraft, for example, is interpreted as part of the promotion of scientific technology.

The agency also hopes to secure 27.5 billion yen to purchase the first of four aerial tankers included under the buildup program, which runs to fiscal 2005.

The planned purchase of these planes -- which increase the strike range of fighters -- has been criticized in the Diet as contradicting the nation's "defense only" security policy. There were no appropriations in this year's budget for the refueling craft.

Other major purchases under the agency's program during the next fiscal year include two AH-64D Apache attack helicopters, an Aegis-equipped destroyer and seven SH-60K patrol helicopters.

It is unclear, however, how much the agency will be able to secure, as its request -- especially items pertaining to the special quota -- is likely to be given close scrutiny by the time the state budget is finalized at year's end. The deadline for requests for funds under the special quota is the end of September.

The agency plans to submit a report to the Finance Ministry on Friday covering the 4.71 trillion yen sought separate to the special quota. Friday is the first deadline for ministries and agencies to make budget requests to the ministry.

The agency also plans to enhance SDF capabilities for post-Cold War types of threats, including guerrilla attacks, the budget request plan shows.

The Ground Self-Defense Force will construct training facilities for coping with guerrilla attacks in urban areas in the Higashi-Fuji Training Area in Shizuoka Prefecture, and send personnel to the U.S. for such training.