Japan’s university defence bids surge as post-war taboo fades amid China concerns

Japanese universities and other educational institutions more than doubled their applications for defence ministry research funding this year to a record 291, up from 123 last year, as Tokyo moves to strengthen its defences.

The increase is the clearest sign yet that academia’s decades-long resistance to military-linked work is easing. The bids accounted for more than half the record 560 applications received by the…