Japan Press Weekly

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2022 November 30 - December 6 [POLITICS]

Komei agrees to Japan's possession of strike capability with LDP

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party on December 2 reached an agreement with its coalition partner, the Komei Party, to allow the country to be equipped with a counterforce capability which successive governments have regarded as "unconstitutional".

Following the agreement, Japan's possession of counterforce capability will be stipulated in three key security documents (the National Security Strategy, the National Defense Program Guidelines, and the Mid-Term Defense Program) by the end of this year.

Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Koike Akira at a press conference in the Diet building demanded that the agreement be withdrawn as it tramples on the Constitution.

He pointed out that the two parties agree to allow Japan to attack enemy bases even when Japan is not under attack on the grounds of "a crisis situation surrounding the existence of the country". He warned, "This, from the viewpoint of an adverse party, can be regarded as a preemptive strike, and a counterattack by the adverse party will mean that Japan could become a battlefield."

In addition, if Japan uses the right to collective self-defense when the United States is under attack, Koike said, "This means Japan's entry into U.S. airstrikes."

Past related article:
> Gov’t panel calls for imposing heavy taxes on general public to finance large military buildup [November 23, 2022]