At a news conference after the official memorial ceremony, a forum normally dominated by reflections on the past and appeals for a peaceful future, a reporter prodded Mr. Abe about the alarmingly here-and-now problem of the nuclear ambitions of the North's leader, Kim Jong-un. ...

The reporter asked, Should Japan, whose Constitution renounces war, acquire the means to strike North Korean missile sites if an attack on Japan appeared imminent? ...

"At the present time, we are not planning any specific deliberations about possessing" weapons for a pre-emptive strike, Mr. Abe said. He added that Japan needed to strengthen its defenses generally, "given that the security situation surrounding Japan is becoming increasingly severe."