BBC News:
Japan plans to acquire medium-range air-to-surface missiles, expanding its strike capability to North Korea.
The announcement by Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera comes amid regular missile tests by North Korea and increased tensions between the nations. The missiles will be deployed on Japan’s fleet of fighter jets and have a range of up to 1,000km (621 miles).
The move is likely to be controversial, as Japan limits its military to self-defence. But conservative Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has pushed in recent months to loosen the country’s military restrictions, imposed in the wake of World War Two. New laws introduced by Mr Abe will soon allow a broader interpretation of what the constitution does, and does not, permit.
