In his annual policy speech, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe vowed Monday to adopt a more muscular defense policy while easing off from his usual praise for South Korea following the recent diplomatic flap over the 2015 "comfort women" agreement.
Abe delivered the speech in both houses of the Diet at the kickoff of this year's ordinary legislative session, which is slated to continue through mid-June.
He reiterated the need for Japan to bolster its defense capabilities amid the "increasingly severe" security environment, citing North Korea's escalating military provocations.