Ishiba, elected leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Friday, outlined his plan in a paper to the Hudson Institute think tank last week. He argues that the changes would deter China from using military force in Asia. "The absence of a collective self-defence system like NATO in Asia means that wars are likely to break out because there is no obligation for mutual defense," he wrote.
Ishiba, like many Japanese politicians, has voiced concern over a surge in Chinese military activity around Japanese islands. The NATO idea, however, has already been rejected by Washington, with Daniel Kritenbrink, the assistant secretary of state for East Asia and the Pacific, dismissing it as hasty.
