Kishida pushes to build up arms, raise birthrates

TOKYO: Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Monday that Japan faced the severest security environment in the region since World War 2 ended and pledged to push a military buildup under a newly adopted security strategy over the next five years and beyond, as well as tackle rapidly declining births so the country could sustain its strength.

Kishida's government adopted in December key security and defense reforms, including a counterstrike capability that makes a break from the East Asian nation's exclusively self-defense-only postwar principle. Japan says the current deployment of missile interceptors is insufficient to defend it from rapid weapons advancement in China and North Korea.