Japan's Cabinet approved on Friday a record 8.7-trillion-yen ($55-billion) defense budget for 2025 as the country accelerates building up its strike-back capability and starts deploying Tomahawks to fortify itself against growing threats from China,

Japan's defense budget grew to a record 8.70 trillion yen ($55 billion) for fiscal 2025, the government said Friday, as the country continues to enhance its capabilities to address regional threats amid China's rapid military buildup and North Korea's growing ties with Russia.