Japan Press Weekly

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2015 September 30 - October 6 [POLITICS]

Abe promises more military assistance in UN PKOs

Prime Minister Abe Shinzo in the United Nations promised to step up Japan’s military commitment to UN Peace Keeping Operations, with the aim of gaining permanent membership in the UN Security Council.

The prime minister on September 29 delivered an address at the current session of the UN General Assembly. He said that Japan is determined to “carry out its responsibilities in making still greater contributions towards world peace and prosperity” as a permanent member of the Security Council. After taking office at the end of 2012, Abe indicated his ambition for gaining a permanent seat in the council every time he made speeches at UNGA sessions.

Abe stressed that Japan as a peace-loving nation has worked hard to foster world peace, citing the Japanese Self-Defense Forces’ activities in the PKO in South Sudan. Referring to the security legislation which was railroaded through Japan’s parliament on September 19, Abe said, “Japan has also for its part recently prepared the legal domestic framework enabling it to contribute to Peacekeeping Operations in a broader manner.”

The security legislation, which is also referred to in Japan as “war legislation”, will allow SDF troops on overseas missions to use weapons to maintain “stability” and to “protect” foreign troops. These activities are totally different from peaceful international contributions that Japan has provided in the past, such as support for protection of woman’s rights, offering of child health programs, and training of police officers.

The international community does not expect Japan to dispatch its armed forces abroad under the war legislation. International NGOs argue that if the SDF routinely uses weapons overseas, Japanese NGOs providing humanitarian aid will become targets in attacks against states supporting military action. Japan should seek to contribute to world peace and prosperity in a manner that fully complies with the principle of pacifism embodied in Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution.

Past related article:
> NGO: Abe’s war bills will turn humanitarian aid groups into targets of armed attacks [August 30, 2015]