Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledges stronger security role for Japan
Japanese prime minister points to increases in Chinese defence spending
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has vowed to keep boosting Japan's security role, saying that the officially pacifist nation should no longer be a "weak link" in the world.
Visiting New York for the UN General Assembly, Abe signalled on Wednesday that he hoped to move ahead with "collective self-defence" that would allow Japan to assist its ally the United States.
He also suggested that it was ironic that it was he who was dubbed a militarist in light of China's ballooning military spending.
"Japan should not be the weak link in the regional and global security framework where the US plays a leading role," Abe said at the Hudson Institute on the eve of his appearance at the UN General Assembly.
"Japan is one of the world's most mature democracies. Thus, we must be a net contributor to the provision of the world's welfare and security," he said.
"And we will. Japan will contribute to the peace and stability of the region and the world even more proactively than before."