Japan's ruling party agreed Tuesday to let the defense chief react to a missile strike without first consulting the cabinet, amid worry the nation's strict chain of command could delay its response to an attack, officials said. The bill was approved by two committees of the Liberal Democratic Party, paving the way for government approval later this month, a party official said. The bill would let the chief of Japan's Defense Agency order the interception of a missile without approval of the cabinet or informing parliament.It would also streamline the organization of the military, known as the Self-Defense Forces, to put the army, navy and air force under a unified command of a Joint Staff. Japan renounced war in its constitution imposed by the United States after defeat in World War II and officially does not have a military or defense ministry. But there have been worries that Japan would waste too much time in administrative procedures before reacting to an attack, as a missile fired from North Korea would reach the country in 10 minutes.
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