The Japanese government on Tuesday ratified reinterpretation of the country's pacifist constitution to allow exercise of the collective self-defense right, a move marking the most significant shift in its post-war security policy.
What is collective self-defense right?
The collective self-defense right is authorized, along with individual self-defense, by Article 51 of the United Nations Charter.
The article stipulates that if a country in the international system has suffered an armed attack, then any other country has the right, but not the duty, to use armed force against the aggressor in reliance upon the principle of collective self-defense.
Alliances normally suppose that allies have mutual responsibility to defend each other. The Japanese government considers Japan's participation in alliances to be constitutional, but not the military defence of its allies.
