The Japanese government is moving toward revising a joint defense guideline with the United States in a bid to clarify roles of the two countries in the presence of changing security situation, the Tokyo Shimbun reported Monday.

The initiative was taken against the backdrop of new threats like terrorism and weapons of mass destruction as well as of the evolution of military activities in China and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, it said.

The same grounds were also quoted by Japan in December when it updated two key defense documents, featuring more flexible missions, deeper involvement in international security operations and stronger determination in military cooperation with the United States.

The envisioned fresh guideline, expected to come out by the end of 2006, would focus on what the two would do in various scenarios like in normal time, when Japan is under attacks, or when there are emergencies around Japan, the paper said.

It is the first time for the guideline to be revised since 1997.

Source: Xinhua