Japan govt approves record budget for ageing population, defence

Tokyo (AFP) Dec 27, 2024

Japan's government on Friday approved a record budget for the next fiscal year, ramping up spending on social welfare, as the population ages, and defence to tackle regional threats. The 115.5 trillion yen ($730 billion) budget for the year from April 2025, greenlighted by the Cabinet, includes 8.7 trillion yen in defence spending. It also includes social security spending of around 38.3