Prime Minister Taro Aso has puzzled many in his government and party with his indication that he may move to enable the Self-Defense Forces to exercise the right to collective self-defense, lifting decades-old legal restrictions.
Aso was known as an advocate of the policy even before he become prime minister. Yet a remark he made to that effect at U.N. headquarters — only one day after becoming the head of government — drew fresh attention both in and outside Japan.
Aso, who is known to occasionally commit gaffes, baffled many Japanese officials and even Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers with the comment, and there are few signs so far the issue will grow into a major political topic in the near future.