The ruling Liberal Democratic Party had determined to clearly stipulate the presence of Japan's Self-Defense Forces in a draft constitution revision, while stopping short of an clause for the collective self-defense right, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported Monday.

Japan's pacifist constitution complied after the World War II forbids the possession of an army and the involvement in warfare.

Yet, as a leading economic power in the world, Japan's ambition to play an important role politically and militarily has flared up.

The LDP aims to present the constitution revision for discussion at the 50th anniversary of its establishment in November, with the war-renouncing Article 9 being the focus in the campaign.

A panel of the party brought forward an outline for the draft revision on Sunday, maintaining the wording against warfare, but asking for a categorical statement of the SDF's presence, the newspapers said.

A constitutional recognition will fill the legal gap not only with the national defense, but also with the SDF's overseas missions, the paper said.

Although the revision will not endow a collective self-defense right, the panel sought to work out a security law, along with the government's long-standing claim to have the right, to give the SDF the capacity. The government regards the right of collective self-defense is permissible under international law despite it is against the constitution.

Source: Xinhua