Japan lawmaker in Taiwan says China threat needs more military spending

Koichi Hagiuda, the LDP's policy chief and a former industry minister, said during a visit to Taipei that since World War Two Japan has "walked the path of peace" and that path will not change in the future, Qazet.az reports.

"However just reciting the word peace is of course not enough for our peace to be protected," he told a forum on Japan-Taiwan relations.

As Japan prepares next year's budget Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has already announced plans to lift defence spending to an amount equivalent to 2% of gross domestic product within five years, from 1% now.