Japan's defense planners are seeking their biggest budget ever for the coming fiscal year, including a bulk order of patrol planes and a stealthier submarine, as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bolsters the military in the face of a territorial spat with China and North Korea's nuclear program.
The Defense Ministry on Friday requested a 3.5 percent increase to ¥5.05 trillion for the fiscal year starting next April. If approved, it would be the third annual increase in a row and would more than reverse the decade of cuts Abe ended after coming to office in December 2012.
The hawkish premier, taking a more assertive stance on national security, has also ended a ban on Japanese soldiers fighting abroad and eased curbs on weapons exports.