Desire to join government makes DPJ accept wartime bills

A set of three contingency bills to pave the way for Japan to use force abroad passed through the Lower House on May 15, although the bills were regarded as impossible by some Liberal Democratic Party officials representing defense interests. The Democratic Party of Japan's change of mind was key to understanding what happened.

Speaking at an LDP fund-raiser later in the day, Defense Agency Director General Ishiba Shigeru said,"It is extraordinary for the contingency bills to get support from 90 percent of the Lower House members." Then he immediately replaced the word "extraordinary" with "epochal."

Ishiba recalled, "We had three wakeful nights to enact a law on cooperating with United Nations Peace Keeping Operations (PKO). Many parliamentary groups were reluctant to support the law on special measures against terrorism."

What Ishiba described as "extraordinary" was the DSP, which changed its mind to support the wartime bills in the aftermath of the highest level meetings between the DPJ and the LDP, including one between Prime Minister Koizumi and DPJ Leader Kan Naoto.

Despite such meetings, the substance of the legislation allowing the Japanese Self-Defense Forces to take part in U.S. wars and use force abroad was not changed at all. The Okinawa Times of May 15 said, "There is apprehension that the contingency laws allow the SDF to increase joint operations with U.S. forces, exceeding the legal boundaries of self-defense assigned to the SDF."

In the past, "maintenance of self-defense" has been a major principle of the DPJ's security policy. Now the DPJ has discarded the principle on the pretext that the Cabinet Legislative Bureau has rejected the idea.

Eto Shunsuke, a political commentator, analyzed the DPJ move, as follows:

"Kan and other LDP leaders have regarded the wartime bills as an opportunity for the DPJ to show their ability to take the helm of state affairs. The DPJ settled the matter by making it easier for the ruling Liberal Democratic and Komei parties to jump over the hurdle."

Since the former Socialist Party joined the government by shifting to accept the SDF as constitutional and maintain the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty, support for the Japan-U.S. military alliance has been regarded as a requirement for a ruling party.

In his talks with Prime Minister Koizumi, Kan said, "It has been confirmed that the largest ruling party and the largest opposition party can share a common view on security issues and on foreign affairs."

It is widely recognized within the DPJ that the party needs U.S. endorsement to participate in government.

The wartime bills will not be enacted unless the DPJ has made such a move.

Eto said, "Urged by the desire to be part of government, the DPJ accepted the unconstitutional wartime bills. It may have sold Japan's true national interests to the United States." (end)