Tokyo, Dhu-AlHijjah 14, 1435, Oct 8, 2014, SPA -- Japan and the United States on Wednesday released an interim report on a review of defence cooperation guidelines, amid increasing tensions with China over maritime territorial disputes, according to dpa. The two countries are revising the guidelines for the first time in 17 years to expand Japan's roles overseas, after China's military buildup and North Korea's missile and nuclear programmes. Prime Minister Shinzo has said he wants to enable the Japanese military to play a greater security role overseas while beefing up its defence capabilities at home. The move is at odds with Japan's pacifist post-war constitution. Japan's relations with China have been strained over a group of islands in the East China Sea, especially since Tokyo purchased three of them from a private owner in September 2012. --SPA 14:29 LOCAL TIME 11:29 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w