 JCP criticizes new 'National Defense Program Outline' The Japanese government on December 10 approved a new 10-year "National Defense Program Outline" that made a marked shift in Japan's security policy into one of defining operations abroad as the main task of the Self-Defense Forces. The government also approved a revised five-year "defense" buildup program. Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Ichida Tadayoshi published a statement on the same day calling for the "Outline" to be withdrawn. The following is the translation of the Ichida statement: The new "National Defense Program Outline" and the "Five-Year Defense Buildup Plan" approved on December 10 by the Cabinet mark a major policy change by replacing the policy of "exclusively defensive defense" with one of playing a greater role outside of Japan by dispatching the Self-Defense Forces abroad. While admitting that the "likelihood of all-out aggression against Japan has decreased, the "Outline" seeks to have the Self-Defense Forces make it their main task to contribute to "improving the international security environment" in addition to "defending Japan". This clearly is intended to abandon the "constitutional restrictions" under which the government has maintained that "Japan holds fast to its policy of exclusively defensive defense and will not become a military power threatening other countries." What's more, the new "Outline" calls for the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty set up to be strengthened and for Japan to share roles with the United States in order to deal with the "emerging threats and diverse developments," including weapons of mass destruction and international terrorism. This is in line with the U.S. preemptive attack strategy and will expand the geographical coverage of the Japan-U.S. military alliance to the whole world and establish a setup for U.S. forces and Japanese Self-Defense Forces to join together to carry out military intervention anywhere in the world. This direction is evident also from the equipment plans as well as organizational structure. The "Outline" stresses the need to give the SDF a flexible and effective military force with multifarious functions, calling for the establishment of a rapid deployment force called "central quick response group", mid-air refueling and transport units, and a joint staff organization with military buildup that will take on a more proactive role outside of Japan. This is how the government is trying to reinforce the SDF in a way that will serve the U.S. preemptive attack strategy. This will drag Japan into a more dangerous course. The "Outline" also stresses the need to establish a missile defense system. Joint technological study of such a system is now underway in both the United States and Japan. Chief Cabinet Secretary Hosoda Hiroyuki (on Dece. 10) announced that the joint Japan-U.S. development and production of the "missile defene system" will not be prohibited under the government's Three Principles on Arms Export and that joint Japan-U.S. development and production of systems other than the missile defense system will be examined on a case by case basis. This is a major shift in the application of the Three Principles on Arms Export. It is important to remember that the Three Principles established in accordance with the [war-renouncing] Article 9 of the Constitution has been the source of international trust in Japan. Throwing away this principle amounts to Japan causing deepening concerns and uneasiness in Asia and the rest of the world. The JCP strongly opposes this dangerous defense program that changes the Self-Defense Forces into military forces to be deployed abroad in furher violation of the constitutional principles of peace and demands the withdrawal of the "Outline". (end) |