Japan's Cabinet approves biggest-ever defense budget

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.

The Associated Press reports that Japan's move is in response to China's "rising assertiveness in the region." China has also increased its military spending, and its defense spending is second only to the United States.

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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.