Across Asia: Japan

Panel: Ease military limits

Japan should ease restraints on the military, partly to boost its alliance with Washington, a government panel proposed yesterday, but the opposition Democrats said they would re-think such plans if they took power. The panel's proposals would further stretch the interpretation of Japan's post-war pacifist constitution, allowing Tokyo to support Washington, for example by trying to shoot down missiles headed for US territory.

Such plans could potentially alarm neighbors China and the two Koreas, where many suffered under Japanese militarism before and during World War II.