Former Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa proposed here Thursday that Japan reinterpret its Constitution to allow the Self-Defense Forces to support and defend U.S. forces if a U.S. military operation is directly connected to Japan's security.

Article 9 of the Constitution stipulates that the Japanese people renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as a means of settling international disputes. This is currently interpreted as meaning that Japan cannot defend its allies against enemy attack and can only act against direct threats to Japan.

"I would like to envisage that the Self-Defense Forces can and should be deployed to assist and defend U.S. forces insofar as their activities are clearly and directly relevant to Japanese security risks," Miyazawa said during a speech at ceremonies to mark the 50th anniversary of the signing of a peace treaty between Japan and the Allied powers.

Miyazawa said the Japan-U.S. alliance has not only served the security of Japan well, but it has also played an important stabilizing role in peace and security in East Asia and beyond.