The first meeting of an expert panel to comprehensively discuss Japan's national defense capabilities, including how to equip the Self-Defense Forces, the size of the budget, financial resources and other issues, was held by the government at the Prime Minister's Office on Friday.
The meeting's participants, tasked with discussing a drastic beefing up of the nation's defense capabilities, agreed on the need to strengthen deterrence. They called for a cross-ministerial approach to security.
