Japan navy holds review

Japans's navy held its triennial fleet review on Sunday, its first major demonstration of power under the country's new government, which has vowed to cut back on some of its already limited activities overseas.

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has taken a more pacifist stance on military issues than his conservative predecessors, and the military has come under scrutiny since his government took over last month after decades of rule by the conservative Liberal Democratic Party.

Japan's navy, generally viewed as the strongest in Asia, is seen as an important regional balance to the expansion of China's rapidly growing naval power - a role that Washington has strongly supported.

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