TOKYO, Oct. 30 (Xinhuanet) -- Seiji Maehara, head of the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan, reiterated on Sunday that the Japanese government should confirm that forces will never be used overseas.

    The DPJ leader said on a television interview program that "it is quite important (for the government) to follow the current Constitution and confirm that war is renounced and forces will never be used overseas."

    "And the public will not be supportive unless discussions are prompted on how much the right to collective self-defense is recognized," Maehara said, in reference to a draft of a new Constitution compiled by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

    Japan can only exercise the right of collective self-defense in a limited way, Maehara noted.

    Japan and the United States agreed Saturday to cut the number of US Marines based in Okinawa by 7,000 in a move apparently aimed at gaining local support as they embarked on a new stage of their alliance involving accelerated military integration and a more active role for Japan.

    Maehara criticized the Japan-US interim report about the troop reduction and military relocation, saying it made in effective related limitation rules on US forces in Japan for peace purpose in the Far East. Enditem