Japan’s Defense Ministry requested a large increase in spending on missile defense to protect the country from North Korean threats, in a draft budget to be approved by the Japanese government later this year.

The budget calls for an overall defense spending increase of 2.1 percent, but within that spending on missile defense will rise from $1.2 billion to $4.9 billion, ABC News reports.

The increase in spending would go towards purchasing additional Aegis missile defense systems and an improved ship-to-air SM-3 Block IIA interceptor.

“The two Aegis Ashore sites should provide almost total coverage of the main Japanese islands, and