Japan's largest defense budget includes nearly 5 trillion yen ($42 billion) allocated for the year starting in April. The country's total budget for the year is also a record at 96.3 trillion yen ($814 billion).
Japan's Cabinet approved the record-high budget on Wednesday, noting plans to buy surveillance aircraft, drones, and F-35 fighter jets.
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The rise in defense spending is the third annual increase under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who took office in 2012. Abe "favors a stronger role for Japan's military," according to AP, so it is unlikely that Japan's parliament will veto the proposed budget.
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