A high-ranking U.S. defense official visiting Tokyo said Friday that the U.S. appreciates recent actions taken by the Abe administration to bolster the Japan-U.S. military alliance.
In particular, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work mentioned the decision to reinterpret the Constitution to permit the use of collective self-defense, the easing of Japan's long-held ban on weapons exports, and the progress being made on the Futenma base relocation plan in Okinawa Prefecture.
"We strongly welcome Japan's Cabinet decision permitting collective self-defense," Work said after meeting parliamentary vice minister Ryota Takeda.