Japan is moving to revise its national defense strategy in response to rising cross-strait tensions. Kyodo News reports that authorities officially began discussing further development of Japan's defensive abilities on Wednesday.
Kyodo News also says that Japan's government wants to discuss whether to assemble and strengthen its offensive forces. It says that the relatively short distance between Taiwan, Japan, and China means that Taiwan's stability could affect Japan as well.
Meanwhile, Japan's NHK says that Prime Minister Fumio Kushida plans to finish revising Japan's national defense strategy before the end of 2022. The committee in charge consists of National Security Adviser Takeo Akiba, the foreign ministry, and the defense ministry, among others.
The committee will discuss how to strengthen Japan's defenses and protect its economy. In addition, the Liberal Democratic Party will compile and submit suggestions to the committee for consideration in May.