Japan needs amphibious units and surveillance drones to protect its outlying islands, the defense ministry said Friday.
In a paper that had been widely reported on Thursday, the ministry said it was necessary to boost the strength and range of forces that could be used to protect Japan’s far-flung territories.
“To deploy units quickly in response to a situation, it is important… to have an amphibious function that is similar to U.S. Marines,” capable of conducting landing operations on remote islands, it said.
The interim report, which was approved by a high-level defense meeting on Friday, also advocates the introduction he phraseology reflects an on-going debate among politicians about the need to re-interpret aspects of the pacifist country’s military stance, defense officials told reporters, and steered clear of any mention of “first strike”.
“We are not talking about pre-emptive attack. That’s not good,” a defense official said.
“We have this awareness that given changes in the security environment surrounding Japan, we have to discuss whether it is enough for us to depend on US forces in terms of capability to attack enemy territory,” he told reporters.
Japan and the U.S. have a security treaty that binds Washington to coming to Tokyo’s defense if it is attacked. a drone reconnaissance fleet that could be used to monitor distant islands.
