Japan has adopted new defense plans calling for a five percent increase in military spending and a greater regional role for its self-defense forces.
The national security strategy and defense guidelines approved by the Cabinet on Tuesday are seen as part of a response to China's growing military power.
The plans were drawn up at the request of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who wants to revise Japan's pacifist constitution to help deal with regional issues, including China.
Under the new plans, defense spending would increase by five percent from 2014 to 2019. Surveillance drones, submarines, fighter jets and amphibious vehicles would be among the purchases, which will total $247 billion.
The hardware is part of a shift in military focus from the north to the southwest, where Japan is involved in a tense dispute with China over islands in the East China Sea.