Japan's lower house OKs $50-B defense budget

TOKYO: The lower house of Japan's parliament approved on Tuesday a budget for the coming fiscal year that includes a record 6.8 trillion yen ($50 billion) in defense spending, part of Tokyo's effort to fortify its military as China's influence in the region grows.

The 2023 defense outlay, up 20 percent from a year earlier, includes 211.3 billion yen ($1.55 billion) for the deployment of United States-made long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles that can be launched from warships and can hit targets up to 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) away.