Japan wants to record defence budget increase amid Chinese threat

Japan's Defence Ministry on Friday requested a record $59 billion for next year's defence spending to deter China.

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Defence officials also focused on unmanned weapons and artificial intelligence to compensate for the decline in the number of military personnel due to the country's population loss.

The new budget is part of Japan's five-year military buildup plan. The island nation plans to spend $297 billion by 2027. This will make it the world's third largest military spender after the United States and China.

In recent years, Japan has been rapidly building up its defence of the southwestern region amid China's growing military threat and tensions in the regional sea.

While increasing military support, Japan is also forced to accept a reduction in the number of troops. It will have to focus on the development and purchase of new unmanned aerial vehicles for surveillance and combat operations. Representatives of the Japanese Ministry of Defence also say that combat drones are "game changers". They can carry out missions lasting many hours and reduce human losses during combat.

Source: AP