Hagel Welcomes Japan's Decision on Collective Self-Defense

Washington, July 1 (Jiji Press)--U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel hailed the Japanese government's new constitutional interpretation adopted Tuesday that finds it possible for Japan to exercise its right to collective self-defense. "I welcome the government of Japan's new policy regarding collective self-defense, which will enable the Japan Self-Defense Forces to engage in a wider range of operations and make the U.S.-Japan alliance even more effective," Hagel said in a statement. "The new policy also complements our ongoing efforts to modernize our alliance through the revision of our bilateral guidelines for defense cooperation," the statement said. Hagel said that he looks forward to discussing Japan's decision with Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera when he visits Washington next week, suggesting that the U.S. government wants to start full-fledged talks on the proposed revision of the defense cooperation guidelines at their meeting scheduled for July 11. The statement also said that the Japanese government's move is "an important step for Japan as it seeks to make a greater contribution to regional and global peace and security." Ben Rhodes, deputy national security adviser for strategic communications for U.S. President Barack Obama, separately said that Japan's new policy is "part of the continued maturation of our alliance, and it opens the door to additional cooperation." He said that Obama has been supportive of the policy. At the same time, Rhodes said that the United States wants to see Japan and South Korea "continue dialogue to address not just collective self-defense, but also some of the issues around historical tensions," urging Tokyo to boost efforts to win understanding from Seoul on its new policy. END