The Guardian:
The United States and Japan have unveiled new rules for defense cooperation in a historic move that will give Japanese armed forces a more ambitious global role amid concerns over China’s rising sway.
Under the revised guidelines, Japan could come to the aid of US forces threatened by a third country or, for example, deploy minesweeper ships to a mission in the Middle East.
The US secretary of state, John Kerry, and defense secretary, Ashton Carter, and the Japanese foreign minister, Fumio Kishida, and defense minister, Gen Nakatani, revealed the new rules after talks in a New York hotel…
…Under the previous rules, Japanese forces could assist American troops only if they were operating in the direct defense of Japan.
The amended guidelines were drawn up to reflect a reinterpretation of Japan’s constitution by Abe’s government last year, which allows for “collective defense”.
Carter said the new rules removed the constraints of geography, adding that now the US-Japan cooperation had moved “from being locally focused to globally focused, and of course that’s completely appropriate given the way the world has changed since 1997”.
“It means that Japan can defend US ships engaged in missile defense activities in the vicinity of Japan,” a US official said earlier.
“It means that Japan can respond to attacks on third countries if they are in close association with Japan and if those attacks directly affect Japanese security,” he said.
One possible scenario could have Japan shooting down a missile headed towards the United States, even if Japan itself was not under attack, officials said.
The reinterpretation of the constitution and the new defense guidelines are part of Abe’s bid to soften Japan’s constitutional commitment to pacifism. The United States imposed the principle after the second world war, but now strongly supports Japan’s new approach.
Tokyo’s readiness to embrace what Abe calls “proactive pacifism” comes amid growing anxiety in Japan and across Asia over China’s rising military and economic might.
For Washington, the new guidelines could make Japan a more active and equal military partner, able to support US-led operations elsewhere and cooperate more closely on missile defense, cybersecurity and surveillance satellites.
