Japan’s Military to Start Training for New Overseas Missions
- Defense minister announcement signals shift in security policy
- Missions to include defending baracks of UN peacekeepers
Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer leads a troop of vessels.
Photographer: Tomohiro Ohsumi/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
In a further shift in Japan’s pacifist postwar security policy, the military will begin training to carry out new missions overseas.
Defense Minister Tomomi Inada announced the change for the Self-Defense Forces, saying units will start the necessary training from Thursday. "It’s natural to make the proper preparations to respond under any circumstances," she said Wednesday in a briefing.