TOKYO -- The Japanese defense ministry plans to request a record 5.1 trillion yen ($51 billion) or so in the fiscal 2017 budget amid growing concerns over China and North Korea.
This will mark the fifth straight year that the Ministry of Defense seeks an increase in funding. Japan's defense budget grew for the first time in 11 years in fiscal 2013, after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe began his second run. The ministry sees another increase as necessary for next fiscal year amid growing tensions in the Asia-Pacific region.
