TOKYO: Japan will get its first aircraft carriers since World War II and buy dozens of fighter jets under a new defence plan approved on Tuesday that is intended to counter China’s growing military power.
The new five-year defence plan calls for the upgrade of two existing helicopter carriers so that they can launch fighters, and is the latest in a series of steps under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to boost Japan’s military.
Abe’s government argues the efforts are necessary given growing defence challenges in the region, including tensions with North Korea, and particularly "strong concerns" about the expansion of China’s military footprint.
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