Japan continues to speed-up the already hectic pace of its military expansion as it rearms to deter China, and has approved a record defense budget of $42.5 billion for the 2017-2018 fiscal year beginning April.

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The Japanese Diet or Parliament will still have to approve the defense budget but no difficulty is seen here.

The increase in the defense budget is the fifth straight in the five years since Shinzo Abe became Prime Minister in December 2012. It reflects Abe's hawkish views on defense issues, and contributes to his long-term goal of freeing the Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF) from the constitutional shackles that have bound it to a doctrine of self-defense since after World War II.

The government earlier approved an extra spending package for the current 2016-2017 fiscal year that included $1.5 million for defense, with a focus on ballistic missile defense to counter North Korea's growing nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities.

Among the highlights of defense spending for the coming fiscal year:

*$1.80 billion, a record high, to strengthen the Japan Coast Guard as it increases its presence in the East China Sea to better protect Japan's Senkaku Islands, also claimed by China.

Of this total, $409 million will go to the acquisition of eight new ships, including one capable of housing a helicopter. Five large surveillance ships and three research vessels will join the existing fleet of 14 coast guard ships.

The new coast guard budget will also cover the cost of putting video cameras on coast guard ships dedicated to Senkaku patrols, while strengthening maritime surveillance and other measures.

* $619 million for new submarines with improved sensors that will expand the submarine fleet of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) to 22 submarines from 16

*$749 million for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) to purchase six more Lockheed-Martin F-35 stealth fighters. JASDF will base its first F-35 squadron at its Misawa Air Base north of Tokyo.

*$125 million for the procurement of the RIM-161 Standard Missile 3 (SM-3)  Block II A, a new ship-based ballistic missile interceptor to be mounted on JMSDF Aegis guided missile destroyers of the Atago- and Kongo-class.

*$280 million for upgrading the JASDF's ballistic missile defense system. This includes funding for the improved MIM-104F Patriot (PAC-3) ground-based interceptors and research into future missile-defense systems.

TagsJapan, record defense budget, Senkaku Islands, china, Shinzo Abe, Japan Self-Defense Force