Japan brushes aside U.S. demand to boost defense budget to 3% of GDP

Japan on Wednesday pushed back against the demand by U.S. President Donald Trump's nominee for a top Pentagon policy post to boost its defense spending to 3 percent of its gross domestic product to tackle growing security challenges.Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Japan "determines its own defense spending, not at the direction of any other country," while Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi emphasized the importance of the substance of capabilities over the budget amount.The remarks came after Elbridge Colby, tapped to be undersecretary of defense for policy, said in a written sta…READ FULL ARTICLE