Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held the sixth meeting of the Advisory Panel on Reconstruction of the Legal Basis for Security at the Prime Minister's Office.

During the meeting, the members of the Panel exchanged their views.

In his remarks, the Prime Minister said,

"I understand that today the Panel is discussing Japan's response in the event of an infringement on the lives and property of the Japanese people or the territory and sovereignty of Japan that does not amount to an armed attack but involves the use of force, and is also discussing how the Japanese legal system should be.
Under existing laws, unless there is an 'armed attack' against Japan, that is, in general, unless there is a situation in which 'force is used in a systematic and planned manner,' Japan cannot use force by invoking the right of self-defense under a 'defense operation order.'
However, there is now a recognized need for dealing with so-called 'gray zone' situations. These situations include cases in which foreign national submarines navigating underwater intrude into Japan's territorial waters and continue to navigate the waters, refusing Japan's request to leave, or incursions occurring in remote islands or sea areas that are several hundred kilometers away from the mainland, making it difficult for the police or the Japan Coast Guard alone to respond quickly. We must carry out a thorough review to see if there are no 'gaps' that need to be filled in by introducing legislation from the perspective of whether the Self-Defense Forces have sufficient authority and are able to respond in a timely manner.
As the security environment surrounding Japan becomes increasingly severe, if there are any such legal 'gaps,' then our 'deterrence' - or ability to prevent attacks against Japan from occurring - will not function. This would effectively put the Japanese people in great danger. Under such circumstances, we cannot consider ourselves sufficiently ready to respond to security threats surrounding Japan. It is important to create a seamless legal basis for the security of Japan, and to develop a robust system that ensures the lives and security of the people in the event of any kind of possibility."