Japan Press Weekly

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2015 September 9 - 15 [POLITICS]

Defense Minister doesn’t deny possible first-use of weapons by SDF personnel

Defense Minister Nakatani Gen has indicated that the proposed revision of the existing PKO Cooperation Law would allow SDF personnel on overseas missions to use weapons preemptively before they are “harmed” or “impeded”.

Nakatani mentioned this possibility during a debate session with Japanese Communist Party lawmaker Inoue Satoshi at an Upper House Foreign and Defense Affairs Committee meeting on September 10.

Inoue was grilling Nakatani that “an authority to use weapons”, which will be established under the revised PKO law, is so ambiguous that nothing would act as a brake against unnecessary weapons use.

Currently, SDF personnel abroad are allowed to use weapons only in the following cases: when individual officers have to protect themselves; when they have to protect civilians in close proximity to them; and when they have to protect the weapons they possess.

However, the revised law will permit the use of weapons “to prevent or deter harm” to local people as well as “to counter any actions attempting to impede” SDF missions.

Since the 1960s, the United Nations has been expanding the use of weapons in UN peacekeeping operations under the pretext of “self-defense”. The UN has even allowed the preemptive use of weapons. In 2002, the UN included the use of force against “hostile acts” in its Master List of Numbered Rules of Engagement (ROE). In the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, wrongful shootings and attacks against civilians happened quite often. At the same time, participating countries had to ensure the safety of their own troops. Therefore, the ISAF wavered between restrictions on and relaxation of weapons use.

Citing these facts, Inoue pointed out the possible preemptive use of weapons by SDF units in violation of the Japanese Constitution, and demanded that the proposed revision of the PKO law be withdrawn.

Past related article:
> Kill Abe’s war legislation bills that totally trample on Constitution [May 27, 2015]
> Review of 5 PKO principles is a step toward the use of force [March 6, 2012]
> Stop sending SDF to PKO activities in South Sudan [November 4, 2011]