Iraq war shows us how wartime legislation would force Japan to assist in U.S. preemptive attacks -- Akahata editorial, April 14The ruling Liberal Democratic and Komei parties submitted to the Diet a revision to the contingency bills, which have been carried over from the previous Diet session.
Prime Minister Koizumi Jun'ichiro has many times instructed the ruling parties to get the bills enacted within the current Diet session.
The LDP wants to get the bills passed through the House of Representatives on April 18, and the Komei Party leader has hinted at forcing them through in the Lower House even if opposition parties boycott the vote.
The proposed amendments state that the law would be invoked in two cases: when there is a danger perceived of an imminent armed attack or when an armed attack is predicted.
Both the original government bills and the proposed amendments presuppose that the Japanese Self-Defense Forces will be allowed to use force in either of the two cases, meaning that Japan would use force even without an attack on Japan.
Law can be invoked even if Japan has not been under attack
Look at the Iraq war, and you will get the real aim of the wartime legislation: Japan's participation in U.S. wars.
The United States has waged the Iraq war to show its determination to topple by force another government which it suspects of supporting terrorists or holding weapons of mass destruction.
After the U.S. forces took military control of the capital city of Baghdad, U.S. Vice-President Dick Cheney, who has pushed forward with this war, said that the U.S. forces "are bringing freedom where there is tyranny, and relief where there is suffering." This is how he stated the U.S. intention to extend its illegal interventionist war which it has waged in Iraq to other countries.
What will happen if the United States chooses a country near Japan to attack?
The United States will establish its readiness to fight a war by reinforcing its forward deployment in Japan.
The country targeted for U.S. military attack will take counter measures, thus increasing tension around Japan.
If Japan's SDF ships refuel U.S. warships in support operations, such an action constitutes participating in a war under international law, and Japan will become a target of retaliatory attacks. In that event, the predictable retaliatory attack against Japan can be used as the pretext to invoke the wartime legislation, as the government had stated in the Diet, and the SDF will be asked to go to war together with the U.S. forces.
This marks a departure from the 1999 Law to Deal with Situations in Areas Surrounding Japan (war laws), which bans the government from carrying out rear-area support for U.S. forces in action.
Stating that "an armed attack against either party in the territories under the administration of Japan would be dangerous to its own peace and safety," the 1960 Japan-U.S. Security Treaty provides for Japan-U.S. joint operations in case of an attack against the U.S. forces in Japan.
Given this treaty provision, the contingency laws would allow the SDF to take part in joint military operations with U.S. forces if there is a danger of attack on the U.S. forces in Japan or even if such an attack is predicted.
Obviously, the contingency legislation would force Japan into assisting in U.S. preemptive strike strategy and help provoke war.
The Koizumi Cabinet wants to take advantage of the U.S. war on Iraq to rush into the enactment of the wartime laws that will rob the people of basic constitutional rights and civil liberties, paving the way for establishing a wartime setup that will mobilize the public for U.S. wars.
Act for peace and security in Asia
Prime Minister Koizumi emphasized that Japan needs the contingency legislation using North Korean missile threats, which is absolutely unacceptable, as a pretext.
We must prevent the Koizumi Cabinet from rushing into establishing a wartime regime not only by taking advantage of the U.S. attack on Iraq but also by violating the Japan-North Korea "Pyongyang Declaration", which confirmed that both sides would "comply with international law and would not commit conducts threatening the security of the other side," and "co-operate with each other in order to maintain and strengthen the peace and stability of Northeast Asia."
The task now is for Japan to cooperate with other Asian countries in the effort to solve problems by peaceful means and achieve the region's peace and stability. Enacting the contingency legislation that would integrate Japan into a U.S. preemptive attack strategy will only help increase tension in Asia.
This Diet session must reject the contingency bills.
There is no alternative but to get the contingency bills scrapped in the current Diet session. (end)