A Japan Defense Agency panel headed by director general Shigeru Ishiba was discussing whether the agency should possess weapons capable of striking enemy bases to prevent an invasion of Japan, the Asahi Shimbun newspaper said.

The panel has discussed acquiring the US missile Harpoon 2, with a range of 200 kilometers (125 miles), the Tomahawk cruise missile, with a range of 2,000 kilometers (1,250 miles), and light aircraft carriers, the Asahi said.

Since 1959, Japan has based its defense policy on pure defense, relying on US forces to attack enemy bases when and if necessary, said a spokeswoman for the Japan Defense Agency.

She declined to comment on the Asahi report.

The report came as the agency formulates a new defense plan to spell out long-term defense policies, the Asahi said.

Some government officials were wary of the proposal Asahi said.

"This may threaten Asian nations and could become a diplomatic problem," a government source told the Asahi.

In March last year, Ishiba, widely regarded as a hawkish defense chief, told parliament the government was ready to examine whether Tokyo should possess an offensive military capability to counter future missile attacks.

A month earlier, he suggested in an interview that Japan could launch a military strike against North Korea if it had firm evidence Pyongyang was ready to launch ballistic missiles against it.

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