Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called on Friday the first meeting of a government panel tasked with debating how far Japan should be allowed to go in defending allies who come under attack, amid rising tension over security, including North Korea's nuclear programs.
The panel will review the ban on "collective self-defense," which means using force to come to the aid of an ally under attack. It has been banned in Japan under the official interpretation of the war-renouncing Constitution.
The panel comprises 13 experts on law, defense and foreign policy who are widely expected to be advocates of Abe's position criticizing the interpretation for limiting Japan's role in its security arrangement with the United States.