November 4, 2015
Japan’s Defense Minister Nakatani Gen and U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter met on November 3 in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur and agreed to introduce permanent mechanisms to integrate the operational capabilities of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces and the U.S. military.
The systems to be introduced are an Alliance Coordination Mechanism (ACM) and a Bilateral Planning Mechanism (BPM), both of which are based on the Japan-U.S. Defense Cooperation Guidelines revised in April. The introduction of these systems means that the JSDF will be completely placed under the control of the U.S. military even in peacetime. Along with Japan’s security legislation enacted in September, these are all designed to enable the JSDF to take part in U.S.-led wars around the globe.
At the August 11 meeting of the Upper House special committee on the war legislation, Japanese Communist Party lawmaker Koike Akira revealed internal documents compiled by the Defense Ministry’s Joint Staff Office. These papers contained a plan to establish the ACM and BPM as well as a center for joint operations involving the JSDF and the U.S. military. The latest bilateral agreement has confirmed Koike’s revelation.
The revealed documents also state that they will “consider” engaging the JSDF in the U.S. military’s monitoring activities in the South China Sea as well as having the JSDF protect the equipment of U.S. forces deployed in that region.
In the meeting with Carter, Nakatani expressed his support for the U.S. actions in the South China Sea and promised to send JSDF troops to the sea area for the planned joint military exercises there.
Enabling the JSDF to engage any perceived enemy in order to defend U.S. troops is a focal point of the enacted war legislation. The dispatch of the JSDF to the contested waters may further heighten tensions with China.
Past related article:
> New Japan-US defense cooperation guidelines reflect Abe’s hawkish ambitions [April 28, 2015]
The systems to be introduced are an Alliance Coordination Mechanism (ACM) and a Bilateral Planning Mechanism (BPM), both of which are based on the Japan-U.S. Defense Cooperation Guidelines revised in April. The introduction of these systems means that the JSDF will be completely placed under the control of the U.S. military even in peacetime. Along with Japan’s security legislation enacted in September, these are all designed to enable the JSDF to take part in U.S.-led wars around the globe.
At the August 11 meeting of the Upper House special committee on the war legislation, Japanese Communist Party lawmaker Koike Akira revealed internal documents compiled by the Defense Ministry’s Joint Staff Office. These papers contained a plan to establish the ACM and BPM as well as a center for joint operations involving the JSDF and the U.S. military. The latest bilateral agreement has confirmed Koike’s revelation.
The revealed documents also state that they will “consider” engaging the JSDF in the U.S. military’s monitoring activities in the South China Sea as well as having the JSDF protect the equipment of U.S. forces deployed in that region.
In the meeting with Carter, Nakatani expressed his support for the U.S. actions in the South China Sea and promised to send JSDF troops to the sea area for the planned joint military exercises there.
Enabling the JSDF to engage any perceived enemy in order to defend U.S. troops is a focal point of the enacted war legislation. The dispatch of the JSDF to the contested waters may further heighten tensions with China.
Past related article:
> New Japan-US defense cooperation guidelines reflect Abe’s hawkish ambitions [April 28, 2015]
