Japan’s cabinet approves record defence budget amid escalating China tensions

Japanese strike-back capabilities and coastal defences to be boosted while Beijing accuses Tokyo of fuelling a space arms race'

Japan's cabinet has approved a record high defence budget as tensions with China continue to spiral, with Beijing this week accusing Tokyo of fuelling a space arms race".

The draft defence budget for the next fiscal year - approved on Friday - is more than 9tn ($58bn) and 9.4% bigger than the previous budget, which will end in April. The increase comes in the fourth year of Japan's five-year program to double its annual arms spending to 2% of GDP.