The Liberal Democratic Party-Komeito ruling coalition kicked off formal discussions Friday on security legislation that would expand the range of missions the Self-Defense Forces could be deployed on.
The weekly talks are expected to be tough. Komeito is reluctant to loosen legal restrictions on military activities even as Abe's LDP presses to develop a more flexible "proactive" fighting force.
During the first round of talks, the two parties tussled over whether to support the government's plan to let Japanese troops defend warships and other assets of military allies other than the United States.
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