Record defense budget approved

The Japanese Cabinet approved a record-high military spending plan on Thursday, marking the fourth consecutive year that spending on defense has increased.

The $42 billion defense budget for the fiscal year of 2016 features US surveillance drones and F-35 fighter jets, Aegis radar-equipped destroyer with missile-defense capability, submarine construction and sonar development.

The budget - up 1.5 percent from the initial budget for fiscal 2015 - goes into effect on April 1. It is the fourth annual increase under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, ending a decadelong budget decrease.