Japan to boost military budget amid China row

TOKYO (AFP) - Japan will increase military spending in 2013 for the first time in more than a decade, the ruling party said on Tuesday, as Tokyo summoned the Chinese ambassador over a simmering territorial row.

The newly-elected Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) national defence task force has decided to boost the defence budget request by more than 100 billion yen (S$1.4 billion) in response to an emboldened Beijing, a party official told AFP.

The relatively small amount is likely symbolic, but it reflects anxiety over what Japan sees as an increasingly hostile region, where China is seen as throwing its weight around.

"We have decided that the additional budget will be used for research into a new radar system as well as fuel and other maintenance costs for early-warning aircraft," the official said.