TOKYO -- With his eye on a snap lower house election on Oct. 27, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba moderated his stance on several policy proposals during parliamentary questioning on Monday, including on the creation of an Asian version of NATO.
An Asian NATO "cannot be launched overnight," Ishiba said during a question-and-answer session with opposition party leaders. He had proposed the idea of a NATO-style collective security framework in Asia during his campaign last month to become leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
