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| US-Japanese ships sail in formation (Image: Flickr User - Official U.S. Navy Page) |
Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the Komeito Party held negotiations over a new amendment to the US-Japan Security Treaty on March 20, according to Duowei News, a media outlet run by overseas Chinese.
The amendment is expected to grant Japan the right to collective self-defense and will provide a legal framework for the Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF) to provide back up for the US military and the militaries of its other allies.
There are currently measures in place which prevent the dispatch of the JSDF overseas. The government is drawing up a draft bill to change this, however, at the same time as it is renegotiating its security treaty with the US.
China and other neighboring countries engaged in territorial disputes in the resource-rich South China Sea were the focus of the negotiations on March 20. The negotiations suggest that the US and Japan are looking to assert themselves in the South China Sea region.
The report said the security treaty is set to be amended at the end of April and its content will likely be reflected in the changes to the law.
Read the full story at Want China Times