Japan boosts its defence status
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Japan's upper house of parliament votes to upgrade the defence agency to a full ministry.
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Japan has boosted surveillance of North Korea after seeing vehicles entering and leaving a suspected nuclear test site but does not know whether a test is imminent, a news report said Thursday.
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APART from the decision to relax the 1976 military exports embargo, Japan&#39;s National Defence Program Outline is not a revolutionary document.
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Japan on Tuesday carried out studies to deploy a missile defence shield in central Tokyo, officials said Tuesday, amid concern that the capital is at risk from North Korea.
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Japan's cabinet approves a bill giving the defence minister the power to shoot down missiles without seeking their permission.
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Japan and the United States signed an agreement Friday on the details of their joint development of a ballistic missile defense system.
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Japan is planning to beef up its defense  against cruise missiles in response to China's growing air  strike capabilities, the Yomiuri newspaper reported on Sunday.
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Japan&#39;s defense panel Monday called for greater security measures, strengthening the US/Japan security alliance and changing the Self-Defense Forces.
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Japan's military conducts exercises to see whether a missile defence shield could be deployed in central Tokyo.
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Japanâs military is one of the best-equipped in Asia and its economy is the worldâs second largest. It spreads its wealth around the world generously with foreign aid.
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Japanâs ruling party was expected to push into law a bill to revive a naval mission to support U.S.-led forces.
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Japan's Foreign Ministry spokesman,    Hatsuhisa Takashima , said here last week that his country had been active in the rebuilding of Afghanistan.
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Japan&#39;s new defense outline tears down geographic constraints on missions of the Self-Defense Forces and allows troops to land in any country to fight a potential terrorist threat.
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Japan is planning to beef up its defense against cruise missiles in response to China's growing air strike capabilities, the Yomiuri newspaper reported on Sunday.
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Japan yesterday named China and North Korea as causes for security concern as it instigated an overhaul of defence priorities to meet what it regards as the changing nature of global threats.
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Japan and the US yesterday agreed to boost cooperation in their missile defense programs -- an important first step in carrying out new defense guidelines that ease Tokyo&#39;s strict postwar pacifism.
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Japan's PM Yasuo Fukuda calls for greater discipline from defence officials following a series of scandals.