TOKYO — Japan faces a “diplomatic and security crisis,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Jan. 28, a day after his defense minister announced plans to strengthen the military amid a bitter dispute with China.
The proposal to raise the defense budget by 40 billion yen ($441 million), or about 0.8 percent in the year starting from April, sparked criticism from Beijing. The plan also calls for a small increase in personnel for the 228,000-strong military, the first such rise in about 20 years.
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