A growing majority of Japanese people are supporting the revision of the country's pacifist constitution, which prohibits the country from maintaining a regular army.
Japan's neighboring countries, Korea and China, are concerned over the latest movement.
Kim Du-yeon files this report.
Sixty-five percent of the Japanese public are for a constitutional amendment that would give the country's military greater flexibility.
That's the largest number of supporters so far according to a February telephone survey by Japanese daily Mainichi Shimbun.
Their reason: to better meet today's needs and challenges, and to change war-renouncing Article 9.
Twenty-seven percent of the respondents said they are against a constitutional revision.
Imposed by the U.S. after World War II, Japan's pacifist constitution forever renounces war, and bans its troops from providing logistical support to the U.S. military even if American bases stationed in Japan are under attack.
Japanese lawmakers have been pushing to lift restrictions on Tokyo's use of arms for defense purposes including peace-keeping missions like those in Iraq.
Any amendments to the Japanese constitution require a national referendum.
Kim Du-yeon, Arirang News.