Japan’s Cabinet OKs record $56 billion defense budget for 2024 to accelerate strike capability

By MARI YAMAGUCHI
Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s defense spending will surge more than 16% next year as it accelerates deployment of long-range cruise missiles that can hit targets in China or North Korea. Japan also will further fortify its military with F35 stealth combat jets and other American weapons as Japanese troops increasingly work with allies and take on more offensive roles. The $56 billion defense budget approved Friday by the Cabinet for the 2024 fiscal year beginning March marks the second year of a five-year military buildup. The program comes in the new security strategy that Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s government adopted a year ago, marking a break from Japan’s self-defense-only policy.