Japanese defense minister to visit the U.S.

World Today

Japan’s Defense Minister is visiting the United States this week, after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced a plan to change the constitution to increase the role of the military. CCTV’s Jim Spellman reports.

Both China and the Republic of Korea have spoken out against this decision, but the U.S. has welcomed the constitutional change, saying that it will make the region more stable. The Pentagon says the move will strengthen ties with Japan as the U.S. has struggled to assert influence eastern Asia.

The changes in Japan’s constitution will allow Japan to assist allies who are under attack, even in the event that Japan is not. This would lead to Japan forming military alliances with its neighbors at a time of rising influence from China.

The meeting at the Pentagon between Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera and U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is the first step to hopefully create a deal that would define exactly how military cooperation between the U.S. and Japan will work after this change.

Japanese defense minister to visit the U.S.

Japan's Defense Minister is visiting the United States this week, after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced a plan to change the constitution to increase the role of the military. CCTV's Jim Spellman reports.

Jia Xiudong, a senior research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies, joined CCTV’s Susan Roberts from Beijing to explore a bit more of the dynamic among the U.S., Japan and China.

Jia Xiudong on U.S., Japan, and China relations

Jia Xiudong, a senior research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies, joined CCTV's Susan Roberts from Beijing to explore a bit more of the dynamic among the U.S., Japan and China.