Japan wants money for more firepower

Tokyo – Japan’s military wants record spending next year to help pay for major upgrades to defences designed to shoot down North Korean ballistic missiles that Tokyo sees as a continued threat, despite Pyongyang’s promise to abandon nuclear weapons.

The ministry of defence budget proposal released yesterday calls for defence spending to rise 2.1% to 5.3 trillion yen (R700 billion).

If approved, it will be the seventh straight annual increase as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reinforces Japan’s military to respond to any North Korea missile strike and counter China’s growing air and sea power in the waters around Japan.

The proposed defence budget still has to face scrutiny by ministry of finance officials.