News Snapshot:
Mari Yamaguchi, The Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Monday set a new target for military spending over the next five years to 43 trillion yen ($318 billion), or 1.5 times the current level, as the country seeks defense buildup including the use of preemptive strike. Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said Kishida told him and Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki to work on a budget plan to increase Japan's 2023-2027 military spending by more than 50% from 27.5 trillion yen. The planned increase is “to firmly secure the necessities to pursue substantial reinforcement” of Japan's defense,...
