News Manager
Milforums News Bot
U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said he welcomed the possibility of Japan giving its military a greater role by allowing it to come to the aid of allies under attack. The comment in an interview with Japan's main financial newspaper, the Nikkei, came ahead of a trip to Japan this weekend and represents the clearest U.S. support yet for Tokyo's effort to bolster its military as it faces off against a more assertive China. "We welcome Japan's efforts to play a more proactive role in the alliance, including by re-examining the interpretation of its constitution relating to the right of collective self-defense," Hagel said in a written response to the Nikkei. Hagel visits China, suspicious of Japan's military intentions and where memories of Japan's past militarism run deep, after Tokyo.More...