LDP seeks defense deal by Friday
Unless the ruling coalition strikes a deal this week, Cabinet will be unable to approve the use of collective self-defense during the current Diet session, a senior Liberal Democratic Party minister says.
Tensions mount over security talks
A showdown looms as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pressures the ruling coalition to agree to overhaul Japan’s pacifist security stance, possibly as early as Friday.
The Abe administration's modifications of its proposed new conditions for the Self-Defense Forces to take part in overseas missions would still pave the way for the SDF to operate in combat areas, thus raising the risk of Japan being drawn into armed conflict.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe tendency to stumble in building allied support whenever he makes an aggressive move appears most conspicious of late with his efforts to have Japan exercise its right to collective self-defense and to reform farm policy.
Let Japan help defend America — and itself
The growing risk that Washington will be drawn into a confrontation with Beijing over parochial issues in East Asia will go down as soon as Japan takes greater responsibility for its own defense and that of its allies, as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe proposes.
Officials push to scrap limits on SDF missions
The Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner, New Komeito, discuss whether to overhaul limits on the Self-Defense Forces.
Ruling bloc spars over defense shift
The Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito are in the midst of wading through a number of thorny scenarios relating to national defense, including one that has sparked outrage from the coalition’s junior partner.
Security revamp mulls SDF role in policing coastal areas
The push to address low-intensity conflicts explores the idea of letting the SDF assume the policing functions of the Japan Coast Guard to respond more quickly.
Group battles to preserve achievements of Article 9
As the government moves toward expanding the nation's security capacities, voices continue to be raised demanding that the country adhere to the ideals of its pacifist Constitution. Since nine influential people, including Nobel Prize-winning author Kenzaburo Oe, gathered 10 years ago to draw attention to ...
Japanese politicians recommend Article 9 for Nobel Peace Prize
A group of 60 Japanese lawmakers submitted a petition at the Norwegian Embassy in Tokyo on Thursday requesting that the Nobel Committee award war-renouncing Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution with the Nobel Peace Prize. The Oslo-based prize committee is said to have accepted the ...
Divided coalition begins defense talks
The ruling coalition kicked off discussions Tuesday aimed at overcoming a fundamental division on whether the Cabinet should reinterpret the Constitution and upgrade Japan's defense posture in a changing security environment. While the ruling Liberal Democratic Party of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe wants swift progress ...
Concerns grow in ruling coalition as debate over Article 9 begins
Ruling coalition lawmakers voice concerns about reinterpreting Article 9 in the name of collective self-defense on the eve of a long debate on the matter.
