Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called Tuesday for the groundwork to be laid for a review of the government's current interpretation of the Constitution to enable Japan to exercise the right of collective self-defense.
Abe issued the call as a government panel of experts on security matters resumed discussions after a seven-month hiatus, as he aims to redefine the country's defense posture amid security challenges such as China's maritime assertiveness and North Korea's nuclear ambitions.
The panel, headed by Shunji Yanai, a former ambassador to the United States, is expected to consider which countries under armed attack Japan would defend and where the Self-Defense Forces could be deployed overseas for that purpose.
