TOKYO - Japan's Defense Ministry on Friday submitted a record defense budget request of 8.8 trillion yen ($59.9 billion) for the fiscal year 2026, with a focus on deploying various missiles and drones.
The budget request, up from last year's record 8.5 trillion yen initial request, is the fourth in a five-year defense buildup plan of around 43 trillion yen, as Japan zeroes in on its target of spending 2 percent of gross domestic product on defense by 2027.
According to the defense ministry document, about 1 trillion yen will be used to obtain "standoff" missiles targeting adversaries from outside their strike range.
Under the proposal, some 312.8 billion yen will be allocated to purchase aerial drones.
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The Japanese government set a goal in 2022 of gradually hiking defense-related spending to 2 percent of GDP by fiscal 2027, which has raised concerns domestically and internationally.
