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TOKYO (AP) - Japan's military is making international peacekeeping a priority, scrambling to bolster its missile defenses and deepening its coordination with U.S. troops, an annual report said Friday.
The new focus on peacekeeping is part of a major transformation of Japan's post World War II military into a more ambitious institution. The change reflects efforts to make the country a more forceful player on the world stage and Japan's growing concern at China's expanding military might.
Japan has in recent years become more involved in peacekeeping missions, and sent several hundred troops to southern Iraq, where they were involved in reconstruction, water-purification and other humanitarian, non-combat activities.
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