INTERVIEW: Kihara Vows Bold Revision of Security Documents

Tokyo, Nov. 1 (Jiji Press)--Japan's new Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara has vowed to boldly revise the country's three key national security-related documents.

The three documents will be updated with "bold and new" ideas, the top government spokesman said in an interview Friday, emphasizing the need for the country to strengthen not only its defense capabilities but also comprehensive national power, including technological and intelligence capabilities.

The administration of new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, inaugurated Oct. 21, aims to revise the documents next year.

The documents--the National Security Strategy, the National Defense Strategy and the Defense Build Up Program--were adopted in late 2022 under the administration of then Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

Regarding the free and open Indo-Pacific initiative that Japan has been promoting, Kihara said that "we plan to develop it in the most suitable way" in light of new issues such as economic security and international competition over emerging technologies.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]