"The Japanese government said in parliament in 1958 that when there is no other means, it is not the intention of the constitution to just sit and wait to die," said Shigeru Ishiba, director general of Japan's Defense Agency, interviewed live from Seoul on a Fuji Television talk show.

"While we don't have ballistic missiles, that response from the government was given," he said. "So it is definitely not against the intent of the constitution."

Such pre-emptive strike abilities are entrusted to the US military, Ishiba said, adding however that the correctness of the policy should be examined.

"We entrust the necessary attack capabilities to the United States, and there is no change in that policy," he said.

"We have to inspect however, how correct that policy is," he said.

His comments came a day after Ishiba and South Korean counterpart Cho Young-Kil agreed to work together to resolve the crisis over North Korea's nuclear weapons quest peacefully, and two days after Japan launched its first two spy satellites into orbit.

Ishiba said the spy satellites did not carry the latest technology but were important to allow Japan to collect its own information.

"This is the first time we have launched such things so I don't think we can do things perfectly from the start," he said. "A resolution of one metre (one yard) is not the latest technology."

"But if we don't start, our abilities will not improve," he said.

North Korea denounced the launch of the intelligence satellites on Friday as a "hostile act" and said it was a sign of rearming by Tokyo.

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