Japan PM points to beefed-up military in speech
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Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe gestures as he gives his policy speech during an opening session at the lower house of parliament in Tokyo on Monday, Jan. 28, 2013. Mr Abe whose government faces stiff challenges in reviving the economy and managing an escalating dispute with China over an island chain in the East China Sea said "Let us have strong determination to regain a powerful economy." Mr Abe also said, "We will take every measure to promote and manage and we will give our best efforts to guard the remote islands at the borders." -- PHOTO: AP
TOKYO (AFP) - Japan faces a "diplomatic and security crisis", Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Monday, 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 $546 million or about 0.8 percent in the year starting from April sparked criticism from Beijing.
The plan also calls for a small increase in personnel for the 228,000-strong military, the first such rise in about 20 years.
Mr Abe, in his first speech to parliament since taking office last month, spoke of "continuous provocations" faced by his country, "causing us to face a diplomatic and security crisis".
