Japan Press Weekly

Tweet

2015 September 2 - 8 TOP3 [POLITICS]

SDF top to Washington: War bills will be enacted by this summer

Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Councilors Nihi Sohei revealed on September 2 that the highest ranking officer of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces told the U.S. defense authorities in December 2014 that Japan will enact national security legislation by the summer of 2015.

In an Upper House special committee debating the war legislation, Nihi showed an internal document of the Defense Ministry’s Joint Staff Office (JSO). That document, marked “Classified”, is a summary of the meeting between JSO Chief Kawano Katsutoshi and high-ranking officials of the Pentagon and the U.S. military which was held in Washington shortly after Japan’s general election last December.

According to the papers, then Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army Raymond Odierno asked Kawano on December 17 about the Japanese government plan to enact its security legislation. Kawano replied, “Thanks to the ruling parties’ victory in the latest Lower House election, it will pass the Diet by next summer.”

Nihi condemned the JSO and the SDF for running wild in disregard of the Japanese parliament and the people, referring to the fact that JCP lawmaker Koike Akira recently revealed that the SDF had also drawn up a new operation plan on the assumption that the war bills would become law in August.

Nihi went on to point out that Kawano told U.S. Marine Corps General Joseph Dunford on December 18 that local opposition to the construction project of a new U.S. base in Okinawa may be weakened if Washington enables the SDF to use the planned base and other U.S. military facilities in the prefecture.

Defense Minister Nakatani Gen refused to answer Nihi’s question by saying that he is not familiar with the document.

Handing the document to the minister, Nihi urged Nakatani to confirm the substance of the papers and report it to the committee as soon as possible.

Past related article:
> Thorough investigation into MOD documents is essential [August 19, 2015]