JCP urges government to prohibit SDF-held Cluster Bombs

Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Ichida Tadayoshi called for a parliamentary investigation into the revelation that the Japanese Self-Defense Forces has cluster bombs at a news conference on April 18.

Noting that the International Red Cross has called for such cruel weapons to be banned, Ichida maintained that the Diet must ascertain the number of cluster bombs held by the SDF in violation of the war-renouncing Constitution.

In February, the government confirmed Japan's possession of cluster bombs in its written reply to an inquiry from Koizumi Chikashi, JCP member of the House of Councilors. In the reply, the government admitted that the type of SDF-held cluster bombs is the same as those of U.S. forces.

Akahata on April 19 reported that cluster bombs were dropped by bombers from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk, which is homeported at the U.S. Yokosuka Naval Base.

In April last year, Akahata reported that the SDF had set up an impact site for training in the use of cluster bombs at the Ground SDF Yausubetsu training ground in Hokkaido.

JCP Dietmembers Yoshioka Yoshinori and Kodama Kenji in their on-the-spot investigation into the GSDF Yausubetsu training field found that the construction of the GSDF impact site of 1.5 hectares was completed in 2001 for MLRS training.

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Hiroshima Prefecture's Council against A and H bombs (Hiroshima Gensuikyo) and the Federation of A-Bombs Victims (Hiroshima Hidankyo) on April 18 issued a joint statement protesting against the SDF's possession of cluster bombs, and sent its copies to Prime Minister Koizumi Jun'ichiro and Defense Agency Director General Ishiba Shigeru. (end)