On April 5, 2014 the Pentagon released the following press release readout of Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel’s meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Statement by Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby:
“Secretary Hagel met in Tokyo today with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
“Secretary Hagel thanked the Prime Minister for his leadership and for helping our two militaries maintain a strong relationship. He also expressed his firm commitment to the U.S.-Japan treaty of mutual cooperation and security and to working closely together with the leadership of the Japanese Self-Defense Force to improve our collective capabilities.
“The two leaders discussed a range of regional security issues, to include recent provocations by North Korea, Chinese maritime claims and military activities, and the need for a continued focus on dialogue and cooperation between the U.S., Japan and the Republic of Korea.
“Secretary Hagel reiterated the strong support of the United States for Japanese efforts at defense reform. He also thanked Minister Abe for the support of the Japanese government in securing last December the landfill permit for the Futenma Replacement Facility.”
Source: http://www.defense.gov/Releases/Release.aspx?ReleaseID=16622
The Japanese maintain on of the most advanced and technologically sophisticated military forces in the world.
Although small in size, when compared to other military forces around the world – the force is highly disciplined and fanatical in its training ad dedication.
It is considered a “total defense force” with limited offensive capabilities.
With that being said Japanese forces are greatly feared even today, especially by China and other military powers in Southeast Asia.
This stems from those countries experiences of Japanese military aggression during WWII.
In theory, Japan’s rearmament is prohibited by Article 9 of the Japanese constitution, which states:
“Aspiring sincerely to an international peace based on justice and order, the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes. To accomplish the aim of the preceding paragraph, land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained. The right of belligerency of the state will not be recognized.”
However, in practice the Diet, (or Parliament), which Article 41 of the Constitution defines as “the highest organ of the state power”, established the Self-Defense Forces in 1954. Although they are equipped as a conventional military force, they are, by law, an extension of the police, created solely to ensure national security. Due to the constitutional debate concerning the Forces’ status, any attempt at increasing the Forces’ capabilities and budget tends to be controversial. Thus the JSDF’s capabilities are mainly defensive, with only limited overseas capabilities. The JSDF lacks offensive capabilities such as aircraft carriers, long-range surface-to-surface missiles, ballistic missiles, strategic bombers, marines, amphibious units, and large caches of ammunition.
The Rules of Engagement are strictly defined by the Self-Defense Forces Act 1954. As such the Japanese Self Defense forces are completely reliant on US military force protection measures.