With eye on China, Japan unveils record defence budget

TOKYO : Japan’s defence budget will swell to a record $47 billion for the next fiscal year, the government said Friday, as Tokyo beefs up its missile defence and deploys stealth jets in a bid to counter China. The defence spending was part of a $912-billion national budget for the fiscal year starting in April 2019, approved by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s cabinet.
The government decided to set aside 5.26 trillion yen ($47 billion) for defence, the fifth record year in a row, defence ministry officials said. The defence funding will cover the cost of introducing the US military’s Aegis Ashore land-based missile interceptor system, the officials said. The FY 2019 allocation covers six F-35A stealth jets, and part of it will be spent on Japan’s first aircraft carriers since World War II.AFP