By KIRK SPITZER
TOKYO — Moving from decades-long pacifism, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday said Japan will significantly boost defense spending for drones, fighter jets and naval destroyers to challenge the growing military threats from a rising China.
Abe unveiled a sweeping five-year national security strategy that will extend Japan’s military reach further into the East China Sea, which China claims it owns and has recently taken steps to assert control over.
The announcement comes after weeks of threats from China’s People’s Liberation Army, which demanded that the ships or planes of other nations seek permission from China when traversing the massive sea that the United States considers international waters.
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