Abe lays groundwork for strike capability, but leaves decision to Japan’s next leader

For eight years, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been looking for ways around Japan’s pacifist Constitution to bolster the country’s military. And in his last full week on the job, he laid the groundwork for a plan to allow preemptive strikes on enemy bases.

Abe’s statement on missile defense Friday leaves a big piece of unfinished business for his top aide and likely successor, Yoshihide Suga. While few expect the longtime chief Cabinet secretary to share Abe’s zeal for amending the Constitution, he’ll be confronted with the same dilemma of how to counter growing threats from China and North Korea — and the same security demands from Japan’s sole ally, the U.S.