Japan to name China 'greatest strategic challenge ever'

EPA-EFE/KIMIMASA MAYAMA

Japan is expected to designate China a "serious concern" and describe it as "the greatest strategic challenge ever to securing the peace and stability of Japan," the AFP reported on Friday. The Japanese government is set to approve additional military spending, including funding for its "counterstrike capacity," the ability to target launch sites it perceives as a threat, according to the report.

Japan has committed to increasing defense spending to 2% of the country's GDP by 2027, mirroring an increasing number of NATO members. In line with its constitution adopted after the end of World War II, Japan will insist that its spending hike is part of an "exclusively defense-oriented policy."

Baha Breaking News (BBN) / DJ