August 18, 2015
The Defense Ministry has officially admitted that the Self-Defense Forces’ Joint Staff Office had drawn up an internal document showing the details of operation plans of the SDF on the assumption that the war bills become law.
On August 11, the internal document was made public at a meeting of the Upper House Special Committee on the war bills by Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Councilors Koike Akira. He said that despite the fact that lawmakers are still discussing the war bills, the document details plans to reorganize SDF units assuming that the war bills are enacted in August and go into effect next February. Defense Minister Nakatani Gen avoided making comments on the document at that time.
On August 17, the Defense Ministry’s Bureau of Defense Policy chief explained to JCP member of the Special Committee Inoue Satoshi about the course of the event.
According to the bureau chief, on May 15 when the Cabinet approved the war bills, Nakatani instructed ministry officials to provide information about the bills to SDF staff and to conduct research about what would become possible and what should be done after the enactment of the bill. The officer said that the document was used in a meeting of top SDF officials on May 26.
At a press conference held at the Diet building later on the same day, JCP Secretariat Head Yamashita Yoshiki demanded that the special committee conduct intensive deliberation on the issue and order Chief of Staff Kono Katsutoshi to appear as a sworn witness in the committee.
JCP lawmaker Koike Akira pointed out that although the Defense Ministry insisted that it created the document to explain the bills to its staff, the document contains explanations that did not come up in Diet discussions. He expressed his determination to grill the government on the document.
On August 11, the internal document was made public at a meeting of the Upper House Special Committee on the war bills by Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Councilors Koike Akira. He said that despite the fact that lawmakers are still discussing the war bills, the document details plans to reorganize SDF units assuming that the war bills are enacted in August and go into effect next February. Defense Minister Nakatani Gen avoided making comments on the document at that time.
On August 17, the Defense Ministry’s Bureau of Defense Policy chief explained to JCP member of the Special Committee Inoue Satoshi about the course of the event.
According to the bureau chief, on May 15 when the Cabinet approved the war bills, Nakatani instructed ministry officials to provide information about the bills to SDF staff and to conduct research about what would become possible and what should be done after the enactment of the bill. The officer said that the document was used in a meeting of top SDF officials on May 26.
At a press conference held at the Diet building later on the same day, JCP Secretariat Head Yamashita Yoshiki demanded that the special committee conduct intensive deliberation on the issue and order Chief of Staff Kono Katsutoshi to appear as a sworn witness in the committee.
JCP lawmaker Koike Akira pointed out that although the Defense Ministry insisted that it created the document to explain the bills to its staff, the document contains explanations that did not come up in Diet discussions. He expressed his determination to grill the government on the document.
