Japan’s Defense Ministry seeks record $53B military budget for 2024

News Snapshot:

Japan's Defense Ministry Thursday asked for a 12% defense budget increase for fiscal 2024 that would hike spending to $53 billion. Photo by Nathan Howard/UPI | License Photo Aug. 31 (UPI) -- The Japanese Defense Ministry on Thursday requested its largest-ever defense budget following record defense spending last year in response to threats from China, North Korea and Russia. The ministry asked for a $53 billion military budget for fiscal 2024, a roughly 12% increase. Advertisement The higher spending on defense is consistent with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's new National Security Strategy and National Defense Program that calls for a...