A senior U.S. Defense Department official on Tuesday appears to have given Washington's tacit approval to a Liberal Democratic Party proposal that Japan acquire the ability to launch counterstrikes at enemy bases in self-defense, former Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said.
Onodera received the response when briefing the Pentagon official in Washington. The proposal was drafted by Japan's ruling party as part of a larger effort to boost the nation's missile defenses. It was submitted on March 30 to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
A key member of the LDP Research Commission on Security, Onodera said the adoption of a counterstrike capability would boost the nation's deterrence against North Korean aggression.