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| Shinzo Abe - Japan's Prime Minister |
TOKYO — Nationalist prime minister Shinzo Abe set out his case Thursday for beefing up pacifist Japan’s rules of engagement, saying he wants the armed forces to be able to enter battle in defense of allies.
Citing a rising climate of disquiet in north and southeast Asia, Abe said Japan needs to cast off constitutional strictures that have prevented its so-called Self Defence Forces from firing a shot in combat since 1945.
“As prime minister, I have the responsibility to protect the lives of people under any circumstances,” he told reporters in Tokyo.
“I don’t think the constitution says we have to abandon the responsibility to protect the lives of people.
“If we can enhance our deterrence, it will prevent our country from being involved in war.”
Around 500 people demonstrated against the prime minister’s plans near his official residence, with some carrying banners that read “Exercising collective defense is equal to waging war”.
The prime minister has long nurtured a desire to see more flexibility in Japan’s pacifist constitution, which was imposed by the occupying United States in the aftermath of Tokyo’s World War II defeat.
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