Japan s lower house passes a bill for promoting economic security, putting it on track to be enacted in the current regular parliamentary session as the country faces growing geopolitical risks associated with Russia and China.
The House of Representatives approves a new Japan-U.S. agreement on Tokyo s budget for hosting U.S. forces in Japan, paving the way for raising the amount for the next five years to 1.05 trillion yen ($8.90 billion).
Japan s Self-Defense Forces guarded U.S. and Australian military assets a total of 22 times last year in protection missions under security legislation that took effect in 2016, according to the Defense Ministry.
The Cabinet of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida approves a defense budget of 5.40 trillion yen ($47 billion) for fiscal 2022, setting a record high for the eighth consecutive year, to advance the development of new technologies in the face of a militarily expanding China.
Japan and the United States are considering holding security talks involving their foreign and defense ministers in January to reinforce their alliance in dealing with China s increasing military assertiveness, Japanese government sources say.