Japan Press Weekly

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2014 October 8 - 14 TOP3 [POLITICS]

JCP opposes revision of 1997 Japan-US defense plans

Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo at a press conference held in the Diet building on October 9 demanded that an attempt to revise the Japan-U.S. Defense Cooperation Guidelines be abandoned.

Shii argued that the government is intending to reflect the essence of the Cabinet decision, which was made in early July in order to allow Japan to use the collective self-defense right, on revised mutual defense guidelines.

“The two countries are seeking to start off with a revision of the guidelines before ironing out the details so that Japan’s Self-Defense Forces can use force together with foreign troops abroad,” Shii pointed out.

The Abe administration tries to delete the phrasing “situations in areas surrounding Japan” from the existing guidelines so as to remove geographical restrictions on Japan-U.S. defense cooperation.

Shii criticized this move as a first approach to create a system under which the SDF fights in wars abroad with the U.S. forces.

Regarding the other intent of the government to discard the existing concept of “rear-area” logistics support, Shii said, “The SDF would be sent to ‘combat areas’ to provide military support to the U.S. forces.”

He again stated, “The JCP demands that both the Japanese and U.S. governments not proceed with the ongoing process to revision of the guidelines.”