Shinzo Abe laid out a broad programme on Thursday to loosen rules governing how Japan’s military can be deployed, saying he would consider measures that go beyond what past governments have deemed compatible with the country’s anti-war constitution.

In a nationally televised address, the prime minister made the case for a more collective approach to Japan’s national security, based on the principle that the country can and should fight to protect its allies – rather than merely to fend off direct attacks on its territory, the theoretical limit to its use of force today.

“No country can keep the peace on its own. That is the world’s common understanding,” he said. “If the ruling party concludes that a new constitutional interpretation is needed to pass legislation that protects the lives of Japanese people, we will make a cabinet decision.”