Defense spending for fiscal 2005 will fall by 1.0 percent, according to the draft budget approved Monday.
The figure is down for the third straight year, thanks to sharp cuts in costs for personnel and existing equipment to pave the way for increased spending for missile defense and other new measures under a revised defense policy outline.
The draft defense budget for the fiscal year beginning April 1 amounts to 4.856 trillion yen, down 46.7 billion yen from the initial budget for the current fiscal year.