Prime Minister Abe: New government position on the limited exercise of the right of collective self-defense.

Prime Minister Abe at a press conference. On the evening of January 1, the government held an extraordinary cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister's Office and decided on a new government position that allows the limited exercise of the right of collective self-defense, which had been considered impossible under the interpretation of the Constitution. At a press conference, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe affirmed that Japan will never again become a nation at war, and stressed that this will lead to improved deterrence in light of the tense situation in East Asia, including the rise of China. The new government view marks a major turning point in Japan's postwar security policy. At the Prime Minister's Office, photographed at 6:04 p.m. on July 1, 2014. The same month, on July 2, the morning edition of the same newspaper (Limited Acceptance of the Right of Collective Self-Defense: Shift in Security Policy, New Interpretation of the Constitution, Cabinet Decision) was published.