The party led by former Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara will call for a relaxation of long-standing restrictions on overseas use of weapons by the Self-Defense Forces in its platform for next month's election, sources said Wednesday.
The Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Restoration Party) platform, to be announced Thursday, will also include pledges to strengthen maritime surveillance activities and sharply reduce the number of Diet seats, the sources said.
To conform with the pacifist Constitution, SDF personnel on peacekeeping missions can only use their weapons for self-defense. The peacekeeping operations cooperation law does not allow them to use weapons to counter an attack on other countries' troops taking part in the same mission.