ABE’S CABINET APPROVES LARGEST DEFENCE BUDGET

TOKYO: Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s cabinet yesterday approved Japan’s biggest ever annual defence budget, as the country bolsters its military amid territorial rows and concerns over China’s expanding naval reach. The cabinet approved ¥5.05 trillion (RM179 billion) in defence spending for the next fiscal year starting in April, with the focus on strengthening protection of a string of southern islands that stretch from Japan’s mainland to waters near Taiwan. The allocation is part of a record ¥96.7 trillion national budget. – AFP