Japan edges toward armed might
Wang XingyuChina Daily  Updated: 2004-07-03 11:16

Japan has taken a step forward toward revising its pacifist constitution and filling its long-pursued dream of being a military power, according to an article in Outlook Weekly.

A package of seven security-related bills proposed by the Japanese Government was recently passed in parliament becoming law. The passage of the bills shows that the overall frame of contingency legislation, which the Japanese Government has sought to establish, has taken shape largely after unremitting efforts over 40 years.

With its legal backing, the Japanese Government may resort to force and provide support for US military action during emergencies or when supposed contingency is imminent.

The contingency legislation provides complete legal procedures for revising Japan's postwar pacifist constitution and striding toward amassing military might.

The change from "defeated state" to "normal state" is the long-cherished wish of Japanese, and the contingency legislation is vital for the transition.

Contingencies, according to the explanations of the Japanese Government, refer to wars or great domestic turmoil.

In this sense, the contingency legislation is actually wartime legislation. After these security-related bills became law, Japan's war legislation was completed.

First, the establishment and development of the legislation provides a legal basis for future revisions of the country's postwar pacifist constitution, despite being in flagrant violation of its pacifist constitution.

The constitution says the Japanese people will never again be visited by "the horrors of war through actions of the government" and that they "forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes."

Second, the legislation is intended to be the stone with which the Japanese want to kill two birds.

On the one hand, certain political forces in Japan furnish legislative grounds to facilitate the country's ambition of military power.

On the other hand, the drafters of the legislation wanted to strengthen the US-Japan alliance, enhance military capabilities and be able to dispatch Japan's Self-Defence Force (SDF) overseas freely.

According to Japan's Defence White Paper, contingency legislation is the legislation that regulates the activities of the SDF and US forces. The core of the legislation is military build-up and preparation for armed attacks. Therefore, the ultimate objective of the legislation is to turn Japan into a military power.

Third, a broad consensus on the establishment and development of the legislation has been achieved in Japan's political circles, as is highlighted by the fact that the series of contingency bills received overwhelming support from the members of parliament.

It is rare for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the New Komeito, and the biggest opposition party, the Democratic Party of Japan, to collaborate to pass bills.

This unity shows the increasing right-wing orientation of Japanese politics, and also reveals that its politicians agree that the country should assert itself as a military power.

Fourth, during the course of the establishment of the legislation, the authority vested in the prime minister was amplified and the decision-making procedures simplified.

The contingency laws heighten the prime minister's authority to expropriate local material and mobilize the SDF, and simplify the legal procedures for dispatching the SDF abroad. In short, it will encourage certain Japanese politicians to take extreme actions according to their own will.

Fifth, the legislation entitles Japan to collective self-defence in a disguised form and adds to the uncertainty of security in the Asia-Pacific region.

Japan defines "contingency" as a situation that involves not only actual attacks, but also unilaterally defined threats.

Thus, the laws empower the SDF to launch pre-emptive strikes according to its own judgment and assessment of situations.

Contingency legislation is not in the national interest of Japan. It fuels concerns from its neighbouring countries, and exerts a negative influence on stability and peace within Asia.

To date, Japan has failed to make an in-depth self-examination of its aggressive past, and denial and even beautification of its militant past is a common occurrence.

In this context, the smooth enactment of the contingency bills in parliament is a very dangerous signal and will contribute to a revival of militarism from Japan's ultra-rightist forces.

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