A government advisory panel recommended Monday that Japan scrap some of the basic principles that have guided the nation's postwar, self- defense-oriented security policy and be more flexible in drawing up a new defense strategy.
In a report submitted to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, the panel said the government should consider whether Japan should possess the capability to attack foreign missile bases to pre-empt potential launches against the country.
It also recommended the government relax its ban on arms exports.