A joint defense panel of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party started discussing Monday a review of the National Security Strategy for the first time since it was adopted in 2013 — including the possibility of introducing enemy base strike capabilities.
Along with the review of the country's long-term diplomacy and defense strategy, the panel also seeks to discuss and update two other key defense buildup papers — National Defense Program Guidelines and Medium-Term Defense Program — after Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said in a policy speech earlier this month that the government will aim to renew the three policy papers in about a year.
With China's increasing assertiveness in waters near Japan and North Korea's resumption of ballistic missile tests, Kishida has said Japan is facing a worrying security situation and vows to consider "every option" to boost the nation's defense, including acquiring the capability to strike enemy bases in response to an imminent attack.