Japanese government looking to expand role of Self-Defense Forces

Posted on January 18, 2013 by Cherrie Lou Billones in National with 6 Comments
Japanese government looking to expand role of Self-Defense Forces

With both Japan and the United States aiming to strengthen its alliance, sources say that the Japanese government is planning to discuss with the U.S. how the bilateral alliance should be restructured once the Guidelines for Japan-US Defense Cooperation has been revised. Japan is likely to raise the point on whether the new guidelines would stipulate an expansion of its Self-Defense Forces’ (SDF) activities.

In 2006 and 2007, during his first term, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe created an expert panel for the purpose of laying the legal foundations to ensure security. It was asked to look into the interpretation of its Constitution regarding the right to collective self-defense and the possibility of its revision. The panel’s report was a suggestion to change the interpretation. However, succeeding administrations shelved said report and continued to adopt the interpretation that the right to collective self-defense is allowed, but the country is prohibited from exercising the same.

Sources say that the panel’s discussion has been resumed and that they were to examine four possible scenarios when the Japanese government may invoke the right to collective self-defense. In two of the scenarios, the U.S. military will be directly involved: (1) where the SDF may repel any attack made on a U.S. Navy ship on high seas when there are joint exercises between the two nations, and (2) where it may intercept a missile that has the United States as its target. Some officials of the Foreign Ministry and the Defense Ministry also want to expand the roles of the SDF forces in warning and surveillance matters, so as to effectively counter China’s increasing marine activities.

[via AsiaOne]
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  • Taiwanese

    If I were the Obama administration, I will more than glad to see the Japanese self-defense expand its role on two conditions. First, the expanding role of Japan can’t be based on denial of the Japanese wrongdoing of the past.
    Second, any attempt to purposely make conflict between US and China on Japnese part will be warned and punished.

    I do think It’s right for Obama not giving Abe the chance to manipulate the situation is wise and accurate. There is no such a thing that little brother asking the big brother to fight and become independent later.

  • Taiwanese

    If I were Obama administration I will more than glad to see the Japanse expand the role of self defense on two conditions:
    First, the expanding role can’t be based on the denial of Japanese past wrongdoings.

    Second, any attempt to purposely making conflict between US and China will be warned and punished. I applaud Obama administration to deny Abe’s visit.
    There is no such a thing that little brother setup a conflict theme and asking the big brother to fight in a Yakuza like world politics.

    • Bullynotgood

      Yes but china is being the big brother bullying it’s preschool neighbors lol

  • World Citizen

    These right-wing Japanese have not forgotten who thrown 2 atomic bombs at Japan which caused great shame and suffering to them。 After they have destroyed China, Korea and the rest of the world, they will get even with USA. Right-wing Japanese always think that they are the most superior race in the world. Japan has been a pet of USA since after WW2 because they are waiting for a right moment to bite back.

    • Whirled Peas

      @ World Citizen. The Japanese are NOT (I repeat, NOT) out to seek revenge on the US for the dropping of the 2 atomic bombs on their country. In a 2010 survey taken by NHK broadcasting 52.8% of Japanese think the bombing was unacceptable. But an astounding 38.3% felt the US bombing was acceptable given the circumstances and do not blame Truman. Others gave another answer or did not respond. The survey also shows that Japanese are increasingly forgetting about the bombing: 73.2% could not answer exactly when the event took place! (Of course the remembrance is stronger in Hiroshima and Nagasaki itself.)

      Another interesting data point is that though a little over 50% thought the bombings were not acceptable a full 80.3% said Japan must not possess or ever use nukes. Another 15.8% felt they may possess them but never ever use them. Another 1.4% felt they could use them only when necessary. I have not heard a single Japanese person talk about taking revenge for the A-bombs. Rather than channeling their horror and bewilderment into anti-American sentiment and recriminations, the vast majority of Japanese have taken a stand for PEACE, and against nukes. They show this stance by sharing stories with other countries about what a single bomb can do to the people and infrastructure of cities. And they collaborate with other countries doing medical research to help identify and mitigate the medical problems of Hibakusha (survivors). They work hard to convince the world that nuclear weapons are not just a strong form of dynamite, and that it is supremely naive to talk blithely and cavalierly about “nuking” other countries.

      At the risk of over-generalizing I feel there is something in the Japanese spirit that in the face of adversity they channel their energies in fixing the problem and don’t dwell on that which cannot be changed or try to reverse history. I think that spirit is embodied in a couple of phrases: Shikata ga nai (仕方がない?) (roughly translated as “it can’t be helped” or “nothing can be done about it): and Ganbatte! がんばって (“Do your best and hang in there”). Although “shikata ga nai” can also lead to complacency, it is a powerful cultural meme when circumstances are beyond your control. When Emperor Hirohito was asked, in his first ever press conference given in Tokyo in 1975, what he thought of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, he answered: “It’s very regrettable that nuclear bombs were dropped and I feel sorry for the citizens of Hiroshima but it couldn’t be helped because that happened in wartime.” In other words, that was then and this is now, don’t live in the past, let’s move on!

  • pete

    Why America, who won the war, not so care about this? Why the people lost war so against it so badly? If they want to have say, they better win the last way, or next.