By escorting U.S. carrier, Japan is rushing to take part in U.S. retaliatory
war -- Akahata editorial, September 30, 2001 (excerpts)

"Intelligence gathering" is the pretext under which the Koizumi cabinet is rushing to prepare to send Self-Defense Force ships to the Indian Ocean.

An Aegis-equipped SDF destroyer, which the government wants to send to the Indian Ocean, has the capacity to collect information on incoming enemy missiles and immediately launch counter-attacks. Its mission is to defend U.S. aircraft carriers.

SDF ships were mobilized to escort the U.S. aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk when the latter left Yokosuka for the Iwojima Islands in the Pacific.

The reason Defense Agency Director General Nakatani Gen gave for having SDF ships escort the U.S. aircraft carrier was the need for defense against terrorist attacks. He said such attacks will gravely affect Japan's security. Thus, Nakatani has admitted that "research and study" was just a pretext to justify the escort of U.S. warships.

U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Richard Armitage has urged Japan to "show the flag" in the event of U.S. retaliatory strikes by the Bush administration.

Why is the government in such a hurry to send SDF ships to the Indian Ocean with such a weak explanation? Because if the government waits until the enactment of a new law allowing SDF units to participate in a U.S. retaliatory war, it will be too late for SDF ships to join retaliatory operations. The government is concerned that Japan may fail to "show the flag" and fail to meet U.S. expectations.

Escorting U.S. warships will pave the way for the government to establish mechanisms that automatically involve SDF units in U.S. wars. It cannot be justified even under the terms of the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty.

Such an action is tantamount to participating in U.S. wars even though Japan has not been attacked, and amounts to exercising the right to collective self-defense which the Japanese government has so far regarded as unconstitutional.

Clearly, the Japanese government is taking advantage of the terrorist attacks in the U.S. to rush to have SDF join with the U.S. Forces in military operations abroad.

Note that voices are rapidly growing throughout the world in opposition to a retaliatory war.

If Japan takes part in a U.S. war with SDF ships, it will surely run counter to international calls for the elimination of terrorism. (end)