A ruling Liberal Democratic Party panel on maritime security and defense issues on Thursday approved a draft proposal for the government to strengthen Japan's coast guard and Self-Defense Forces, in the face of increased security threats posed by China around the Senkaku Islands.
The LDP will urge the government "to take measures to increase the pace of acquisition of SDF vessels, aircraft and other equipment," and also for the Japan Coast Guard to fill the gap in security capabilities between Japan and China, according to the draft proposal seen by Kyodo News.
The proposal, to be submitted as early as next week, also asks that legislative measures be considered, including revising laws to enable the use of weapons, if necessary, to deal with so-called gray-zone incidents, which fall short of a military attack.