Government officials on Friday dismissed advice by U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage and said Japan will not revise its Constitution to gain a seat on the U.N. Security Council.
"I don't think there is a direct link between (the war-renouncing) Article 9 (of the Constitution) and Japan gaining permanent membership," Defense Agency chief Shigeru Ishiba told reporters.
"I think Japan has been contributing to world peace and stability under the current Constitution, which prohibits the exercise of the right to collective defense," he said.