Japanese authorities are planning to decide on an unprecedented defense budget for the next fiscal year, media reported.
The plans to raise the budget come amid ongoing territorial tensions between Japan and China over uninhabited islands in the East China Sea. Both countries dispute each other’s claims for the islands, which are located near potential oil and gas reserves and offer rich fishing grounds.
Provocative Chinese military activity in the area over last few months pushed Japan to consider countermeasures, including stepping up its defense budget. The budget will, among other things, provide financing for a controversial US military base which is expected to be built on the southern island of Okinawa, hosting about 26,000 US soldiers
