Japanese PM Abe to oversee talks on first-strike capability

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaks at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo on Aug 28, 2020.- AFP

TOKYO (The Straits Times/ANN): One of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's final tasks in office will be to decide on whether to acquire weapons that allow pre-emptive strike capability against enemy missile bases in other countries, local media have reported, citing government sources.

But this would be diplomatically controversial given Japan's wartime history. Some domestic and foreign policy experts have also argued that it is a slippery slope towards aggression and militarism.