Abe tells Mattis Japan will increase defense spending

Money could be poured into anti-missile system, drones, stealth jets

U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe shake hands at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on Feb. 3. (Pool photo via Reuters)

TOKYO -- Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis that Japan will expedite efforts to strengthen its defense capabilities, government officials said.

In a meeting with Mattis at the Defense Ministry on Saturday, Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada told her U.S. counterpart that Japan plans to "reinforce our defense strength in terms of both quality and quantity, and expand the role we are capable of fulfilling."

Abe conveyed a similar message to Mattis the previous day, the officials said.

According to the officials, Japan is to increase its defense spending in the medium and long terms in response to increasing saber-rattling in China and North Korea.

Japan is also mulling the possibility of jointly working with the U.S. to develop arms, including fighter jets.

Mattis told Abe and Inada that both Japan and the U.S. must reinforce their defense capabilities.

Both sides agreed the Japan-U.S. alliance remains important in maintaining peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region, and that the two countries should aim to boost their deterrence and response capabilities.

The parties also agreed that North Korea's nuclear arsenal and missiles are a serious security threat and

that China's increasing military presence in the East and South China seas is also a concern.

Plans are for the Japanese government to start preparing a medium-term defense strategy covering the period from 2019 to 2023. Work on the strategy could begin in the second half of this year.

U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis, left, and Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada, right, start their meeting at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo on Feb. 4. (Pool photo via AP)

One focus will be the defense budget's annual growth rate, excluding spending related to reforms of U.S. military bases. The rate has averaged 0.8% in recent years.