Japan PM points to beefed-up military in speech
- Published: 28 Jan 2013 at 22.44
- Online news: Asia
Japan faces a "diplomatic and security crisis", Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Monday, a day after his defence minister announced plans to strengthen the military amid a bitter dispute with China.
Japanese premier Shinzo Abe gestures as he delivers a speech to parliament in Tokyo on January 28, 2013. Abe told lawmakers that Japan faces a "diplomatic and security crisis" -- a day after his defence minister announced plans to strengthen the military amid a bitter dispute with China.
The proposal to raise the defence budget by 40 billion yen ($441 million) or about 0.8 percent in the year starting from April sparked criticism from Beijing.
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