  Japan's subservience will pose a new danger: Japan-U.S. summit talks -- Akahata editorial, November 24In the Japan-U.S. summit talks (Nov. 20) and defense chief talks (Nov. 19), the Japanese government expressed readiness to actively cooperate in the U.S. Bush administration's global military posture review. The realignment of U.S. forces in Japan will mean establishing readiness to drag Japan into U.S. wars, which even overrides the terms of the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty. It will make damage caused by U.S. forces in Japan more serious. Setting up a posture for overseas SDF dispatch Prime Minister Koizumi Jun'ichiro has said that Japan and the United States will further discuss details of the U.S. military realignment plan. This is in line with his stated view that "Japan and the United States share the same goal" concerning the dispatch of the Self-Defense Forces to Iraq," which means that Japan will totally follow in step with the United States. Defense Agency Director General Ono Yoshinori pleased the United States by showing a plan stating how Japan will cooperate in the U.S. military realignment. U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has explained that the review of U.S. military deployment is necessary because the military built up in the Cold War era in the 20th century does not fit in with the needs for war on terrorism in the 21st century. In the light of the Constitution and Japan's policy of "exclusively defensive defense", Japan is not in a position to accept such a U.S. policy. Ono, in a meeting with U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney, said, "The review of Japan's National Defense Program Outline has a close relation with the U.S. military transformation" and expressed Japan's readiness to accept role sharing with the United States. Thus, he made clear that Japan is reviewing its National Defense Program Outline in line with the U.S. military transformation and that the SDF will take on a new role in this context. It is no wonder that this pleased Rumsfeld, who said that Ono's response was appropriate and expressed hope that Japan will take on the appropriate role. Ono went as far as to tell Rumsfeld that the SDF would upgrade its international activities to be its main duty and promise to review the restrictions on arms exports. By international activities he means the dispatch abroad of the SDF and its participation in the Iraq War. The SDF is a force prohibited by the Constitution. The government has justified the SDF by arguing that the SDF are the minimum necessity for self-defense and stipulated in the SDF Law that the SDF are for national defense in order to justify the SDF existence. Overseas deployment of the SDF goes against not only the Constitution but also the SDF Law. Besides, it is impermissible to offer such an unconstitutional promise to U.S. officials without any government decision. U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Richard Armitage said the Japanese government's emphasis on cooperation in international activities is noteworthy. He said this because U.S. policy of having Japan fully deploy its troops abroad may bear fruit. Japan's subservience to the United States and its cooperation in strengthening the U.S. military posture throughout the world will force the Japanese people to endure more hardships, including damage caused by U.S. military bases and cutbacks in the budget for defending people's lives. Abrogation of Japan-U.S. Security Treaty is essential The Soviet Union, which used to provide the rationale behind the justification of the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty, is gone. The prime minister's private advisory body has reported that military invasion against Japan is much less likely. U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said that the existing treaties are more than half a century old. Thus, both Japan and the United States have no justification for maintaining the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty. In opposition to the strengthening of the Japan-U.S. military alliance, we will continue to fight to abrogate the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty in accordance with the provision in Article 10. (end) |