Originally published on December 18, 2013

Japan will increase its military spending over the next five years in an attempt to counterbalance China's growing military prowess.

According to AFP, Japan is planning to buy three drones, 17 Osprey hybrid choppers, 52 amphibious vehicles and five submarines to help the country beef up the defence of its far-flung islands.

To bolster its ballistic missile defenses, Japan will also expand its fleet of destroyers. The country currently has six such ships. It will buy two more fitted with Aegis anti-missile systems.

Japan will also purchase 28 new F-35 fighter jets, which are much more powerful than the fighter planes it currently uses.

Even though experts many of the new purchases will be replacements of obsolete equipment, it is apparent that Japan wants to assert a bigger military role in the region, as Japan considers the rise of China as a threat to its national security.

"We hope to make further contributions to the peace and stability of the international community through proactive pacifism," said Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

The Abe administration will also look to revise the Japan's ban on arms exports, which would boost the growth of its weapons industry.

Japan is planning to spend 23.97 trillion yen ($232.4 billion) on military equipment over the next five years, up from 23.37 trillion yen ($227.1 billion) from the past five years.

The increase will also mark the end of a decade-old trend of shrinking military spending.

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