Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera has attempted to dispel concerns that the Self-Defense Forces might use force in a far-off land if Japan lifts its ban on collective self-defense, saying such a scenario isn't being entertained by current debate.
The remarks Friday come as the government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe explores the possibility of lifting the self-imposed ban on the use of force overseas by changing its interpretation of the war-renouncing Constitution.
The defense chief told a news conference that the debate over whether the government should change its interpretation so Japan can aid an ally under armed attack "doesn't have the opposite end of the globe in mind."