Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (L) reviews members of Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF) during the JSDF Air Review, to celebrate 60 years since the service's founding, at Hyakuri air base in Omitama, northeast of Tokyo, in this October 26, 2014 file photo. REUTERS/Toru Hanai/Files
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Ministry of Defence is seeking a fourth straight annual military budget hike to help fortify the country's far-flung island chain in the East China Sea, close to ocean territory claimed by Beijing.
In a document submitted to the government on Monday, the ministry asked for a 2.2 percent increase in military spending to 5.09 trillion yen ($42.38 billion) for the year starting in April. If approved, the new defence budget would be Japan's biggest in 14 years.
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