The Abe administration on Tuesday presented to the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito a draft for a Cabinet decision that will reinterpret Article 9 of the Constitution to enable Japan to engage in collective self-defense. New Komeito reportedly plans to demand that the administration further narrow down the conditions under which Japan can engage in military missions abroad even if Japan itself is not being attacked.

But the junior coalition partner to the LDP should realize that once the government declares that Japan can exercise the right to collective self-defense, it will be practically impossible to put limits to the scope of the nation's military activities outside its territory. It will mark a clear departure from Japan's postwar "defense only" posture. In addition, the wording of the draft is such that it leaves room for future administrations to interpret it in any way they want to justify Japan's involvement in overseas conflicts.

The core part of the draft says that Japan will act in self defense if an armed attack either on Japan or other countries is feared to threaten the existence of the Japanese state and to fundamentally endanger the Japanese people's lives and right to pursue freedom and happiness. It also says that self-defense measures it takes in the event that other countries are attacked constitutes exercising of the right to collective self-defense. New Komeito is said to be calling for omitting the phrase "is feared to" because it thinks it will enable future prime ministers to make any judgment they want concerning a situation taking place outside Japan.