A Defense Agency panel report says Japan needs the capability to launch a pre-emptive strike against a foreign target, such as a ballistic missile installation, according to sources close to the panel.
The call, a deviation from Japan's defense-only policy, is expected to fuel debate.
In March 2003, Shigeru Ishiba, then director general of the Defense Agency, told a Diet committee session that it was "worth considering" boosting Japan's military capabilities so it could attack foreign installations.