The foreign and defense ministers of Japan and the United States agreed at their 2-plus-2 meeting in Tokyo on Oct. 3 to revise the two countries' defense cooperation guideline by the end of 2014 in view of China's military buildup and North Korea's nuclear weapons and missiles development. But in revising the guideline, the Abe administration appears to be readying to discard Japan's traditional "defense-only defense" posture, which has earned Japan the trust of the international community. The government should refrain from such a move as it would destabilize the regional security environment,

In a joint statement issued after the meeting, Japan said "it is re-examining the legal basis for its security including exercising its right of collective self-defense, expanding its defense budget, reviewing its National Defense Program Guidelines, strengthening its capability of defending its sovereign territory, and broadening regional contributions, including capacity-building efforts vis-a-vis Southeast Asian countries." The U.S. welcomed these efforts.

The government's traditional interpretation of the war-renouncing Article 9 is that it prohibits exercise of the right of collective self-defense. If the Abe administration tries to change this interpretation — a move tantamount to gutting Article 9 — without going through the normal constitutional revision process, it will be undermining Japanese democracy.