The United States on Wednesday welcomed Japan's recently announced plan to significantly increase its five-year defense spending to over 40 trillion yen ($293 billion), citing the "acute" security challenges Asia is facing. "There is no question that Northeast Asia has become a more dangerous neighborhood," State Department spokesman Ned Price told a press conference, highlighting the intensifying pace and scale of North Korea's provocations and ballistic missile tests. "We certainly welcome the announcement from Japan regarding its plans for defense spending," he said. Japan, with its pacifis...
