Cabinet Approves Major Defense Spending Increase

The Cabinet has released Japan's latest national security strategy, national defense strategy and defense capability enhancement plan, reports the Asahi Shimbun (Tokyo).

The documents, published on Friday, call for a new framework for Japanese defense, moving away from its traditional focus on strict homeland defense.

Among other reforms, the strategies approve pre-emptive strikes in the cyber domain and against ballistic missile launch sites.

The new national security documents endorse a US$313 billion increase in defense spending over the next five years in response to anticipated threats from China, North Korea and Russia.