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Japan Press Service Co., Ltd. is the only news agency providing information of progressive, democratic movements in Japan

Lower House passes bill to deal with MD system

The ruling Liberal Democratic and Komei parties on June 14 used their majority in the House of Representatives plenary session to approve the bill to revise the Self-Defense Forces Law to establish procedures for intercepting ballistic missiles with a missile defense system. The Japanese Communist Party, the Democratic Party of Japan, and the Social Democratic Party voted against.

The bill will add procedures dealing with ballistic missiles to the present SDF law and enable antiballistic missile response with prior approval from the prime minister when a sign of a ballistic missile launch is perceived. The bill will also make it possible to intercept ballistic missiles if the Defense Agency chief orders to do so even if a threat of such missile launch is not confirmed.

Although the LDP, Komei, and the DPJ support the need for missile defense, the DPJ voted against the bill because the ruling parties rejected the DPJ argument for civilian control.

The missile defense system is aimed at intercepting ballistic missiles with antiballistic missiles launched from the sea or the ground. The government seeks to begin operating the system in FY 2006 and jointly develop it with the United States. The U.S. MD program, however, is to deactivate enemy's responses in order to wage a preemptive attack. Japan's MD system will be in line with this U.S. strategy of preemptive attack. -- Akahata, June 15, 2005