Japan slashes defence spending

Reports from Japan say the government has decided to cut the size of its five-year defence build-up programme by more than seven billion dollars.

Officials said the cuts were part of efforts to balance the state budget.

According to the Kyodo news agency, they were approved by a meeting of the Security Council of Japan, headed by Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto, and by the cabinet.

The cuts mean that Japan will buy fewer fighter aircraft, tanks and warships than originally planned.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service