Japan approves record ₹3 lakh crore defence budget for 2017
Japan has approved a record $43.6 billion (around ₹3 lakh crore) for its defence budget out of its $830 billion spending budget for fiscal 2017. This comes amid Japan's increasing tensions with China and North Korea. Notably, Japanese PM Shinzo Abe has been trying to achieve primary budget surplus by 2020 while Japan suffers from the world's heaviest debt burden.