On the shopping list are stealth bombers, warships and amphibious vehicles: In view of the island dispute with Japan, China increased its military expenditure significantly. Beijing bestride a “slippery slope,” warns the Japanese government.

Japan wants to increase its military spending significantly. Over the next five years, they should grow by 2.6 percent, the government in Tokyo said on Tuesday. The force as a foreign policy “hawk” conservative Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his cabinet approved spending of 24.7 trillion yen (174 billion euros). They include the purchase of three drones, 28 U.S. Stealth bombers of the type F-35, five submarines, two equipped with the anti-missile system “Aegis” destroyers, and 52 amphibious vehicles.

The purchase plans are a clear departure from the previous Japanese politics and the clearest indication yet that Abe has his country intended for a stronger military role in the Asia-Pacific region. Background is mainly the dispute with China to be an uninhabited island group, called Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China. In its near large deposits of raw materials are suspected.

For ten years, military spending had been reduced – to Abe 2013, it increased by 0.8 percent in the first step. The Prime Minister has announced plans to strengthen the military to counter the threat that he sees in the rapid upgrading of China. At the same time, the government in Tokyo wants to reduce the military by streamlining costs.

Abe’s predecessor extended the constitutional requirements. This review determined after the end of World War II that Japan should never go to war or have only one army or navy again. Abe now goes a lot further. He wants to lift the ban which prohibited Japan military action overseas, or the support of an ally.

Conflict With China:China Japan observed exactly

The Chinese government is likely to react angrily to the plans , after all, they had already criticized the draft for military spending. “China closely monitored the security strategy of Japan and its political orientation,” the State Department had communicated . “Japan’s unreasonable criticism of China’s usual activities at sea and his hyping of a Chinese threat have ulterior motives . ”

In addition to the increase in defense spending Japan also seeks strategic partners such as South Korea , Australia, India and Southeast Asian countries in the region. With the latter Abe called on a common weekend summit freedom in maritime and air traffic – a thinly veiled reference to China, which has imposed an air defense zone in the wake of the island dispute and now demands the flight plans for the crossing of foreign machines. The U.S., Japan , South Korea and Taiwan refuse to recognize the zone and sent unannounced fighter aircraft in the area.

In Japan also on Tuesday adopted new guidelines for Military Strategy states, Japan wanted to establish “common defense forces” in order to ward off a combined invasion in the air, on water and on the land can. China is moving on a “dangerous path” which could have “unforeseen emergencies” result.

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