US-Japan alliance guidelines show intent

On Wednesday, the United States and Japan released an interim report on updating their defense cooperation guidelines, of which a few notable yet worrying alterations should be noticed by Japan's Asian neighbors especially China and the Republic of Korea.

For starters, Japan's decision to lift a ban on collective self-defense in July, will be "appropriately reflected" in the updated guidelines. Vague as the wording seems, however, the report elaborates under what circumstances Japan will be allowed to use military force to assist its allies under attack and how.

Moreover, both Washington and Tokyo insist on expanding the scope of cooperation between their militaries by removing the existing geographical limits in the future. In specific, "seamless cooperation" between the two, including marine safety, intelligence gathering, and missile defense, shall be launched "from peacetime to contingencies", according to the report.