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 The development follows Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's historic step
away from Japan's post-war pacifism in July, when the Japanese
government reinterpreted pacifist Article 9 of the constitution to
end a ban that has kept its military from fighting abroad.
The interim report on the update, which is intended to give general
direction of the revision, is attracting close attention from China
and South Korea, which suffered from Japan's aggression before and
during World War Two.
Tokyo and Washington also said they would build a seamless security
framework to better defend Japan and extend the areas of cooperation
to space and cyberspace.
"The two governments will take measures to prevent the deterioration
of Japan's security in all phases, seamlessly, from peacetime to
contingencies," the interim report said.
The United States is obliged to defend Japan under their bilateral
security treaty.
The first guideline update in 17 years comes as Japan faces tough
security challenges from an island spat with China and North Korea's
missile and nuclear projects, and as the United States tries to
shift its diplomatic and security focus to Asia.
When defense and foreign ministers from the U.S. and Japan, the
world's largest- and third-largest economies, met in Tokyo last
October, they agreed to update the defense cooperation guidelines by
the end of 2014 to respond to the changing security environment in
the region and beyond.
"These revised guidelines will capture the greater scope of our
alliance cooperation, reflecting its more global nature," a senior
U.S. State Department official said on condition of anonymity.
"By clearly describing how the United States and Japan will operate
in each of these areas during peacetime, during low-level gray zone
provocations or during an armed attack, the revised guidelines will
provide the policy direction for a stronger alliance, more capable
of deterring threats and contributing to global security," the
official said.
China on Wednesday expressed concerns that the update would broaden
the bilateral alliance beyond its historical mandate.
"The Japan-U.S. alliance is a bilateral arrangement set up under
specific historical conditions. It should not exceed its bilateral
scope and should not harm the interests of third parties, including
China," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei told a news
conference in Beijing before the interim report was released.
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"We are paying close attention to Japan and the United States'
relevant moves to adjust their defense cooperation guidelines," Hong
said.
Some countries in the region including China, South Korea and
Australia had been briefed on planned changes in the guidelines, the
U.S. state department official said.
The new guidelines will specify bilateral cooperation in the event
that a country close to Japan is attacked and the use of force
allowed under the July decision to lift a ban on exercising the
right of collective self-defense, or aiding an ally under attack,
the interim report said.
In the new guidelines, Japan and the U.S. will also agree to
cooperate in such areas as peacekeeping operations, maritime
security and logistics support, in a bid to promote regional as well
as global peace and security, the interim report said.
Efforts by Japan and the United States to strengthen their security
ties could be put to the test soon as the United States carries out
attacks on Islamic State targets in Syria and Iraq, analysts said.
"The Obama administration has found itself having no option but to
take military action, and it may turn into a quagmire," said Tetsuro
Kato, political science professor at Waseda University.
"There is bound to be a request to Japan (for support), and that's
the request Japan needs to meet."
(Editing by Linda Sieg and Jeremy Laurence)
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