Japan Defense Ministry seeks record 7.7 trillion yen budget for FY 2024

Japan's Defense Ministry on Thursday requested a record 7.7 trillion yen ($53 billion) budget for fiscal 2024 as the government aims to deploy arms to realize newly authorized capabilities to strike enemy targets for stronger deterrence in the wake of the worsening regional security environment.The figure exceeds the 6.8 trillion yen initial budget for the current fiscal 2023 that started in April, after the government of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida updated a key security document late last year and pledged to boost defense spending.The requested amount does not include costs linked to hos…READ FULL ARTICLE