The government’s record new draft budget comes as the Defense Ministry cites “increasingly challenging” threats The Japanese government has approved a record draft budget for the next fiscal year, including increased spending on defense. The 115.5 trillion yen ($730 billion) budget plan released by the Finance Ministry on Friday marks a 2.6% rise on the current year.   Defense expenditures account for 7.5% of the total budget, or roughly $55 billion. The figure marks the 13th consecutive year