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Japan's ruling party has proposed revising the country's constitution to formalise the role of its military.
The Liberal Democratic Party proposal, published on Friday, seeks to update the post-World War II constitution to reflect present realities.

If endorsed, it would formally legalise the activities of Japan's Self-Defence Force (SDF), at home and abroad.

The plan is likely to concern China and the Koreas, watchful of any signs of rising militarism in Japan.

Significantly, the proposed new constitution retains a pledge that Japan will never wage war as a means of settling international disputes.

What is different about the proposal is that it states that "military forces for self-defence shall be maintained".

JAPAN'S MILITARY
Japan's constitution currently renounces the use of force
This has been stretched to allow self-defence troops
1992 law allowed troops to join UN and relief work overseas
2003 law said troops could go to non-combat zones in Iraq
PM Koizumi wants to give Japan even greater powers

Whilst Japan has had a 240,000-man Self-Defence Force (SDF) for nearly 50 years, the constitution still states that "land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained".

"We will never wage war again," Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi told reporters on Friday, after the proposal was released.

"But we should make it clear that maintaining a force for self-defence is not against the constitution."

The proposal not only paves the way to formally acknowledging the SDF's legality, but also seeks to validate peacekeeping missions conducted overseas - Japan currently has several thousand non-combat troops in Iraq.

"The military forces for self-defence may engage in activities conducted in international co-operation to secure peace and security of the international community," according to the proposal.

Analysts say this clause may be interpreted as allowing the SDF to engage in collective self-defence - firing to protect its international allies - on these missions. It is currently forbidden by Japanese law from doing so.

The preamble to the proposed new constitution is also controversial. It adds that Japanese people should share a "love for the country" - a phrase that could potentially be interpreted as having nationalistic overtones.

Former Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa, who helped write the proposed constitution, told Reuters news agency he did not believe it presented a big change:

"I think it basically puts into print the present situation," he said.

Long process

For the proposal to come into law it needs to be passed by a two-thirds majority in both houses of parliament before winning a majority vote in a public referendum.

Recent opinion polls have suggested that while a majority of the Japanese public favour revising the constitution, two-thirds of them oppose any change to the part that refers to the use of force - Article 9.

Mr Miyazawa predicted that it would take 10 more years to revise the constitution.