November 13, 2010

The House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee on November 12 approved the Japan-Australia Acquisition and Cross Servicing Agreement (ACSA) with majority votes. The Japanese Communist Party voted against it.

JCP representative Kasai Akira pointed out at the committee meeting that the Japan-Australia ACSA will expand military cooperation between the Self-Defense Forces and other nations as well as strengthen the SDF’s structure for overseas missions, thus infringing on Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution.

The Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation, which Japan concluded with Australia in March 2007, states that “strengthened bilateral cooperation will be conducive to the enhancement of trilateral cooperation” between Japan, Australia, and the United States. Citing this statement, Kasai criticized the bilateral ACSA as leading to create a de facto “trilateral military alliance” centering on the United States.
- Akahata, November 13, 2010