In extraordinarily blunt comments for an incoming Japanese leader, Mr Koizumi rubbished Article 9, saying it hampered the nation's ability to defend its borders.
Every country has a military to protect itself from invasion.
It is unnatural to call the SDF anything other than a military. The comments are sure to inject further tension into Japan's testy relationship with its neighbors, particularly China, ever alert to signs of what it regards as resurgent militarism to the east. Upset at Tokyo's decision to allow former Taiwanese president Lee Teng-hui into the country, Beijing yesterday cancelled the May visit of key Chinese official Li Peng. Other contacts have also been scrapped as Beijing vents its fury over Mr Lee's private trip and other diplomatic issues, such as Japan's decision to clear a right-wing history textbook for publication and its blocking of the import of cheap Chinese vegetables. Mr Koizumi's initial policy forays, before he is elected prime minister today, represent a new challenge to the Japan-Sino relationship.