Tokyo, Aug. 29 -- Japan's defense ministry on Friday submitted a record defense budget request of 8.8 trillion yen for the fiscal year 2026, with a focus on deploying various missiles and drones.

The budget request, up from last year's record 8.5 trillion yen initial request, is the fourth in a five-year defense buildup plan of around 43 trillion yen, as Japan zeroes in on its target of spending 2 percent of gross domestic product on defense by 2027.

According to the defense ministry document, about 1 trillion yen will be used to obtain "standoff" missiles targeting adversaries from outside their strike range.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from United News of India....