Japan seeks record defense budget to boost capabilities in new areas

The Defense Ministry on Wednesday requested a record 5.49 trillion yen ($52 billion) budget for fiscal 2021, placing a strong priority on beefing up capabilities in the new domains of outer space, cyberspace and the electromagnetic spectrum.The request is up 3.3 percent from the initial budget for the current fiscal year through March 2021, with defense spending expected to rise for the ninth consecutive year under Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who has pledged to advance the course set by his long-serving predecessor Shinzo Abe.The ministry requested 123.7 billion yen, compared with 104.7 …READ FULL ARTICLE