Story highlights Shift would enable targeting overseas 'enemy bases' in the event of a strike on Japan

Proposed changes to Japan's military stance come on the heels of 2015 reinterpretation of pacifist constitution

Tokyo (CNN) Japan is considering a further step away from its long-held pacifist stance with a proposal which would allow it, for the first time since World War II, to strike overseas targets.

The proposal from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) advocates adopting new measures to address missile threats from North Korea, including ramping up Japan's missile defense capabilities and, in a departure from its postwar constitution, developing the "capacity to counterattack enemy bases" in the event of a missile attack on the country.

Hiroshi Imazu, chair of the Research Commission on Security for the LDP, and former Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera, submitted the proposal on missile defense to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Onodera, who led the panel, told press after the meeting that Japan's current systems might not be able to cope with a barrage of attacks.

"There are limitations (of our) ballistic missile defense (BMD) if several missiles are fired," he said. "Neutralizing an enemy base (and preventing the launch of) the second and third missiles is within the range of self-defense. It is not a preemptive strike," he added.

Read More