Japan Press Weekly

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2015 August 26 - September 1 [POLITICS]

JCP Tatsumi criticizes war bills for dragging private sector workers into wars

Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Councilors Tatsumi Kotaro on August 26 at a House Special Committee on the war legislation presented the fact that during the dispatch of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces to Iraq, almost all of the supplies and military personnel were transported by private freight companies. He demanded the withdrawal of the war bills which drag private sector workers into wars.

Citing an internal document of the Ground SDF regarding its missions in Iraq between 2003 and 2009, Tatsumi asked for detailed information mentioned in the document that 99% of the SDF’s total transport depended on private companies.

Defense Minister Nakatani Gen replied that government aircraft airlifted SDF personnel between Japan and Kuwait 24 times and that commercial airplanes were used 100 times. The minister also admitted that 10 civilian cargo ships were used for transportation of materials and that civilian airlines, such as Japan Airlines, conducted transport of military goods, including weapons and ammunition.

Tatsumi pointed out that the Convention on International Civil Aviation, known as the Chicago Convention, in principle bans the use of civilian aircraft for military purposes. “Transportation of SDF personnel, weapons, and other supplies constitutes military operations, doesn’t it?” said Tatsumi.

Foreign Minister Kishida Fumio said that that should be determined in a comprehensive manner.

The JCP lawmaker stressed that civilian aircraft carrying servicemen and military equipment are likely to become military targets. Referring to the fact that Pan American World Airways as a symbol of America collapsed after frequent terrorist attacks on its aircraft, he demanded that the government give up on the war bills which will turn Japanese civil aircraft into potential military targets.