Tuesday's decision by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Cabinet to reinterpret the Constitution to allow collective self-defense has divided Japan, with some people fearing it would drag the nation into a U.S.-led war.
But in the U.S., the change is being hailed as a positive step, long in development, that will enhance the U.S.-Japan military relationship and Japan's overall standing in Asia.
"The new policy will enable the Japanese Self-Defense Forces to engage in a wider range of operations and make the U.S.-Japan alliance even more effective," Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel said in a statement. "It also complements our ongoing efforts to modernize our alliance through the revision of our bilateral guidelines for defense cooperation."