TBS reported this morning that Special Advisor to the LDP President for Foreign Affairs Katsuyuki Kawai delivered a speech in Washington on Wednesday, during which he stressed that it is time to seriously consider having the SDF possess ballistic missiles. According to the network, Kawai said it is necessary to face the fact that the security situation surrounding Japan “has clearly moved to another level.” He was also quoted as saying: “I believe that the time has arrived to seriously consider the possibility of the Self-Defense Forces possessing intermediate-range ballistic missiles and cruise missiles in order to defend the peace and prosperity of Japan.”