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Time for Japan to concede South Korea has better defense strategy

Seoul's budget tops Tokyo's to deal with potential threats from North Korea and China

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga oversees a defense budget whose spending as a percentage of GDP is the lowest among G-7 countries. (Source photos by Shinya Sawai and Yo Inoue) 

TOKYO -- Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has just completed a hectic diplomatic schedule that began with a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden in April and ended with the Group of Seven leaders' summit in Cornwall, England.

At last, the prime minister can say he has paved the way for closer ties with the U.S. and Europe as Japan deals with China and brings to fruition a vision of a "free and open Indo-Pacific" that he espouses.

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