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By Jeong Nam-ku, Tokyo correspondent

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has confirmed that he will seek to reinterpret the Japanese constitution in order to permit the country the right to exercise collective self-defense. Abe said that the matter will be discussed in summit talks with US President Barack Obama. In stating that he plans to address the issue with the president of an allied country, the matter of Japan receiving permission to exercise its collective self-defense rights appears to be a fait accompli.

In an appearance on Japanese broadcaster NHK on Jan. 13, Abe said, “One of our government’s central policies will be changing the interpretation of the constitution so that we can exercise collective self-defense rights. I think it’s a priority to reinvigorate the Japan-US alliance, which suffered during three years of Democratic Party rule. I wish to discuss with President Obama precisely how Japan’s application of collective self-defense rights will change our alliance and how it can lead to a safer region.” The US and Japan are discussing possibly holding summit talks in February.

The Tokyo Shimbun newspaper reported, “Prime Minister Abe has renewed examination of the problem of exercising collective self-defense rights with a group of experts, but its conclusions won’t become known until after July’s elections of councilors to the Japanese Diet. However, through discussing the matter with the US president it seems his goal is to treat the outcome as inevitable.”

In its interpretation, Japanese daily the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper wrote, “Prime Minister Abe has made clear that the first step in strengthening the alliance is the forward-looking United States welcoming approval of Japan’s right to collective self-defense.”

The right to collective self-defense grants allied nations the right under international law to launch a counter attack when an attack is made on an alliance member country. Until now Japan has interpreted its constitution as deferring the nation’s right to exercise collective self-defense. During his first term of office as Prime Minister in 2007, Shinzo Abe established a committee of experts who concluded that Japan has limited right to exercise collective self-defense. It appears that Abe’s current cabinet is determined to follow through with the constitutional revision.

The US drafted Japan’s pacifist constitution, which forbids it from possessing a more than self-defense sized military or initiating war. But during the Cold War Japan was poised to fight alongside US forces whenever and wherever necessary, with the US continually requesting military assistance from Japan.

Last year the US put great emphasis on its “return to Asia” policy. It now seems likely in light of its financial problems that at a time when it needs to cut defense spending, the United States will greatly welcome the Abe government’s plan to increase Japan’s defense spending and exercise its collective rights to defense.

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