August 3, 2015
On an NHK “Sunday Debate” program aired on August 2, Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Councilors Inoue Satoshi stressed that with only three days of discussions on the government-sponsored war bills in the Upper House, the unconstitutional and dangerous nature of the bills has come under the spotlight.
Lawmakers of the ruling parties and the opposition parties on the program first discussed the question of Japan’s use of the collective self-defense right.
Ruling Liberal Democratic Party legislator Sato Masahisa said that due to the three new conditions in regard to Japan’s use of the collective self-defense right, the government will refrain from easily dispatching the SDF abroad.
Refuting the LDP lawmaker, Inoue pointed to the fact that at an Upper House Special Committee meeting on July 30, in reply to his question, Prime Minister Abe said that the war bills include no provision prohibiting the SDF dispatch abroad and that the government will determine whether to use the controversial right based on an assessment of changes in the international situation. Inoue argued that under the bills, Japan will be able to send the SDF overseas without restrictions if the government decides to exercise the collective self-defense right, and criticized the bills as unconstitutional.
The program moved on to the next topic, SDF logistics activities under the name of “rear-area support”.
Inoue referred to the July 29 committee meeting in which JCP lawmaker Koike Akira pointed out that in wars against terrorism, troops engaged in logistics support are likely to come under attack.
In that meeting, Koike indicated that in Iraq and Afghanistan, more than 3,000 U.S. soldiers were killed while providing logistical support, such as transport of fuel and drinking water, and that in Afghanistan, three-quarters of non-U.S. military deaths were caused by improvised explosive device detonations.
JCP Inoue said that to expand the scope of SDF activities under the bills will put the SDF at great risk.
Past related articles:
> Discussions on war bills begin in Upper House [July 28, 2015]
> Abe’s war legislation will connect directly with battlefronts: ex-SDF members [July 12, 2015]
Lawmakers of the ruling parties and the opposition parties on the program first discussed the question of Japan’s use of the collective self-defense right.
Ruling Liberal Democratic Party legislator Sato Masahisa said that due to the three new conditions in regard to Japan’s use of the collective self-defense right, the government will refrain from easily dispatching the SDF abroad.
Refuting the LDP lawmaker, Inoue pointed to the fact that at an Upper House Special Committee meeting on July 30, in reply to his question, Prime Minister Abe said that the war bills include no provision prohibiting the SDF dispatch abroad and that the government will determine whether to use the controversial right based on an assessment of changes in the international situation. Inoue argued that under the bills, Japan will be able to send the SDF overseas without restrictions if the government decides to exercise the collective self-defense right, and criticized the bills as unconstitutional.
The program moved on to the next topic, SDF logistics activities under the name of “rear-area support”.
Inoue referred to the July 29 committee meeting in which JCP lawmaker Koike Akira pointed out that in wars against terrorism, troops engaged in logistics support are likely to come under attack.
In that meeting, Koike indicated that in Iraq and Afghanistan, more than 3,000 U.S. soldiers were killed while providing logistical support, such as transport of fuel and drinking water, and that in Afghanistan, three-quarters of non-U.S. military deaths were caused by improvised explosive device detonations.
JCP Inoue said that to expand the scope of SDF activities under the bills will put the SDF at great risk.
Past related articles:
> Discussions on war bills begin in Upper House [July 28, 2015]
> Abe’s war legislation will connect directly with battlefronts: ex-SDF members [July 12, 2015]
