Japan's beefed-up defense stance rattles its neighbors

Neighboring countries have condemned Japan’s sharp increase in defense spending and significant changes to the nation’s long-held security policies, with even nominally allied governments expressing concern about a burgeoning arms race in Northeast Asia.

The Japanese government announced on December 16 that it intends to dramatically ramp up defense outlays in the coming years, allocating 43 trillion yen (€296 billion) over the next five years and raising annual defense spending to 2% of…