At a news conference at the prime minister‘s office in the evening, Abe emphasized that “the risk that Japan will be involved in a war will be reduced further with (today’s) Cabinet approval.”
He said there is a misconception that Japan will be involved in a war to protect another nation.
“Such a situation will never happen,” Abe said. “What the Constitution allows for are only self-defense measures to maintain the existence of our country and protect our people. We will not use force for the sole purpose of defending a foreign country.”