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| Image: Flickr User Official U.S. Navy Page |
By Ricky Hough
For now, Japan’s domestic political turmoil and economic woes are trumping its regional security challenges.
With all the political turmoil taking place in Tokyo this week, Japan’s central government has announced plans to delay talks with Washington on revising and finalizing the U.S.-Japan Defense Guidelines. The announcement comes as no surprise given the political vacuum caused by the dissolution of the Lower House of Representatives and the upcoming snap elections to be held on December 14. Indeed, delaying the revision process has been discussed publicly for some time. According to the Jiji Press, Tokyo hopes to have the guidelines completed by spring of 2015, several months after the year-end deadline. Top officials from Japan’s Defense Ministry Policy Bureau, led by director-general Tetsuo Kuroe, are set to travel to Washington this weekend to hold talk with U.S. defense officials.
Read the full story at The Diplomat