August 20, 2015

"The government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has proposed major changes in Japan's defense policy, with strong implications for the United States and U.S. armed forces in the Pacific. The changes, designed to shift Japan away from an isolated, pacifistic defense posture to a more dynamic one based on bilateral and even multilateral relationships, are controversial but not uncommon to most nations.

Politically, Abe's security agenda is designed to get Japan more involved in the world, and more capable of being a partner operating with the United States. Japan's de facto military, the Self-Defense Forces, would be able to reciprocate American efforts to defend Japan. Abe is also concentrating on increasing SDF interoperability with U.S. forces."

Read more:

http://news.usni.org/2015/08/20/essay-understanding-japans-shifting-defense-policy