Japan Press Weekly

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2023 January 25 - 31 TOP3 [POLITICS]

Shii calls for snap election to seek popular mandate if gov't intends to push through major arms buildup

Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo in his interpellation at the House of Representatives plenary session on January 26 demanded that if the Kishida government intends to push through a major arms buildup and allow Japan to acquire a counterforce (enemy-strike) capability, it should call a snap election to seek a popular mandate.

Shii pointed to the 1959 government view that possession of weapons capable of attacking another country in peacetime goes "against the constitutional principle" of renouncing war. He asked Prime Minister Kishida Fumio if the government has changed its interpretation of the Constitution.

In response, PM Kishida asserted, "Armaments utilized for the counterforce capability are not considered to be prohibited by the Constitution," and did not say if the government abandoned the position adopted in 1959.

The government is intending to procure a large number of missiles, including U.S. Tomahawk long-range cruise missiles, missile-carrying fighters, escort vessels, and submarines. Shii pointed out, "This means that Japan will be equipped with a truly powerful capability to attack enemy missile bases." He said, "Can you still assert that 'this won't be a military power which poses a threat to other countries'? Is Japan going to abandon its exclusively defense-oriented policy?"

Shii said that many Okinawans are opposing the deployment of weapons to target enemy missile bases. He asked, "What is your reaction to the demand of Okinawa, 'Don't make Okinawa a sacrificial pawn!'?"

PM Kishida said in response, "Where to deploy the weapons and weapons systems has not been decided yet, but the strengthening of defense capability in the southwestern region of Japan is an important pillar for the nation's security," hinting at the strong possibility of the deployment of missiles in southwestern Japan.

The government has incorporated the introduction of an Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) system into the national security policy. Shii revealed that the IAMD system is a network built by the U.S. military to launch a preemptive strike, warning that Japan's Self-Defense Forces may engage in a U.S. preemptive war under U.S. command.