Japan's bid to tighten military cooperation with Australia is only the latest of the giant strides it has made in the past three years in becoming a full partner in building collective security in the Asia-Pacific region.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who hosted Malcolm Turnbull, his Australian counterpart, for defense talks on Jan. 18, has reinterpreted Japan's constitution to take a more proactive stance for defending the country in conjunction with its allies.
