Japan will consider acquiring the ability to strike at enemy missile sites, given North Korea's enhanced missile technology program, according to an interim report released Friday for revising long-term defense policy.
The midterm report, compiled by the Defense Ministry, calls for "the need for enhancing comprehensive abilities" to counter ballistic missile attacks. Although the report does not use the term "strike capability," discussions on acquiring this option are included, a ministry official said.
The report also calls for developing an amphibious force like the U.S. Marines with the ability to protect Japan's remote islands, which number more than 6,000, while China's threat to the Japan-controlled Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea continues. Taiwan also claims the islets.