The Cabinet of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has approved a defence budget for Fiscal Year 2014 (FY14) that is the second straight increase after years of stagnation. Abe aims to enhance Japan's ability to defend remote islands in the East China Sea in the wake of increased activities from Chinese ships and aircraft in the area. According to the draft defence budget, which is expected to be passed by the Diet in the coming months, spending for the 12 months from 1 April 2014 will increase by JPY131 billion (USD1.24 billion) to JPY4.88 trillion (USD46.4 billion): an increase of 2.8% over the same period in 2013 and the largest year-on-year increase since 1996.
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