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Japan to Step Up Defenses From Chinese, North Korean Threats

  • New spending set for interceptors and anti-ship missiles
  • Tokyo and Beijing at loggerheads of isles claimed by both
Japan will add two Aegis-equipped destroyers to the country’s fleet of military vessels to bring its tally to 10.

Japan will add two Aegis-equipped destroyers to the country’s fleet of military vessels to bring its tally to 10.

Photographer: Jiji Press/AFP/Getty Images

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga signaled to North Korea and China he will bolster Japan’s military to counter threats they pose to security by allocating an estimated $5 billion for sea-based missile interceptors and new anti-ship missiles.

His cabinet Friday authorized spending to add two Aegis-equipped destroyers to Japan’s fleet of vessels -- to bring its tally to 10 and make it the largest behind the U.S. Navy. It will also develop a new, longer-range surface-to-ship missile that would to counter threats at sea, in a move that comes as its warships and those from China have sailed near each other off uninhabited East China Sea islands claimed by both nations.