Japan’s defense ministry announced plans to strengthen air and missile defenses and acquire counterstrike capabilities to counter North Korean military threats on Thursday, unveiling the country’s largest-ever defense budget.

The Ministry of Defense has requested a total of $52.8 billion (7.7 trillion yen) for fiscal year 2024, citing an increasingly severe security situation surrounding Japan.

The budget plan lists seven key pillars of “necessary efforts to drastically strengthen Japan’s defense capabilities,” asking for $8.7 billion for “integrated air and missile defense capabilities” to respond to airborne threats.

Most notably, the budget seeks $2.6 billion to build two Aegis system-equipped vessels,