As Tokyo confronts an assertive China and an unpredictable North Korea, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Monday that Japan will fundamentally strengthen its defense posture, including by acquiring the capability to strike an enemy base.
In a year, three major documents setting out Japan’s security policy- the National Security Strategy, the National Defence Programme Guidelines, and the Medium-Term Defence Programme- will be revised to boost the nation’s defence capabilities, he said.
“In order to safeguard the people’s lives and livelihood, we’ll examine all the options including capability to attack enemy bases, and strengthen our defence posture fundamentally with a sense of speed,” PM Kishida said in a policy speech.
Regarding Japan’s response to the Coronavirus outbreak, he said he plans to make booster shots available without waiting for the government’s official eight-month waiting period after the second shot.
