Japan should ease its rules on arms exports in a way that would allow the country to more frequently codevelop weapons and arms technology with allies, Parliamentary Defense Secretary Akihisa Nagashima said Monday.
Nagashima, a senior lawmaker of the Democratic Party of Japan, said the government should "seriously consider" deploying more troops to Japan's southern islands.
"Given tighter budgetary conditions, codevelopment is an international trend," Nagashima said.