FILE - In this Oct. 14, 2012, file photo, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) escort ship Kurama leads other vessels during a fleet review in waters off Sagami, south of Tokyo. Japan's Defense Ministry wants to buy an advanced Aegis radar-equipped destroyer and more F-35 fighters under its largest-ever budget to bolster the defense of southern islands amid a territorial dispute with China. The ministry endorsed a 5.1 trillion yen ($42 billion) budget request Monday, Aug. 31, 2015 for the year beginning next April, up 2.2 percent from this year. It would be the fourth annual increase under Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who took office in December 2012 and ended 10 years of defense budget cuts. (AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye, File)