A defence paper released today by Japan's hawkish new government calls for an increase in the country's military capabilities and a more assertive role in regional security due to increased threats from China and North Korea.
If implemented, some of the changes outlined by the interim Defence Ministry paper would be a major shift in policy for a military that is currently limited to self-defence and is banned from operating in overseas combat zones under a pacifist constitution.
Now that he is back in power, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe wants the previous defence policy of the more moderate Democratic Party-led government revised to give Japan's military more freedom and strength.
The paper said Japan should increase its surveillance capability and consider using drones, or unmanned surveillance vehicles capable of wide-range, high-altitude monitoring around the clock.
The paper also proposed creating a marine force to defend disputed islands in the East China Sea.
A final report is expected at the end of this year.
Yesterday, Tokyo expressed unease over Chinese military and maritime activity near the disputed islands, which Japan controls but China also claims.
Japan had scrambled fighter jets Wednesday to keep watch on a Chinese early warning plane flying over international waters between Japan's southern Okinawa island and an outer island relatively close to the disputed area. Around the same time, Japan's Coast Guard reported the appearance of four Chinese coast guard vessels near the disputed islands, called Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China.
