The Asahi Shimbun:
The ruling party endorsed Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s call to remove a 1 percent psychological cap on defense spending against gross domestic product that has been in place since the 1970s.
In line with the more ambitious spending policy, Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party on May 25 also gave its blessing to refit the helicopter carrier Izumo into a full-fledged aircraft carrier.
The LDP’s new position on spending adds yet another dimension to moves by Abe to radically alter Japan’s longstanding exclusively defense-oriented policy.
The proposal was aired ahead of government efforts to outline new National Defense Program Guidelines and Mid-Term Defense Program by the year-end.
