Saturday's lead story in The Japan Times, "Japan weighs course of action in disputed South China Sea," notes that "some senior U.S. military and diplomatic officials have pressed Abe to dispatch the Self-Defense Forces on joint patrols with the United States in the South China Sea." While the officials are not further identified, the article later states that U.S. Pacific Command chief Admiral Harry Harris has said that "the U.S. would welcome Japanese participation during patrol operations in the South China Sea."
Well, not exactly. What Harris actually said — in an interview with Asahi Shimbun National Security Correspondent Yoichi Kato in June — is "I view the South China Sea as international water, not territorial water of any country, and so Japan is welcome to conduct operations on the high seas as Japan sees fit."
Thus far, Japan has wisely not seen fit to do so. Japanese officials have repeatedly said Japan "currently has no such plan" to send Maritime Self-Defense Force ships to the South China Sea but usually add the caveat that it "may consider doing so" depending on how the situation develops. They also acknowledge that the U.S. has not officially asked Japan to participate in joint patrols in the South China Sea — nor should it.