Japan weighs defence review to boost US alliance
Wednesday, 5 August 2009
TOKYO, Aug 4 (Reuters): Japan should ease restraints on the military, partly to boost its alliance with Washington, a government panel proposed Tuesday, but the opposition Democrats said they would rethink such plans if they took power.
The panel's proposals would further stretch the interpretation of Japan's post-war pacifist constitution, allowing Tokyo to support Washington, for example by trying to shoot down missiles headed for US territory.
Such plans could potentially alarm neighbors China and South Korea, where many suffered under Japanese militarism before and during World War Two.
The committee also suggests relaxing restrictions on the import and export of weapons, to allow Japan's defence industry to develop. The proposals are intended for inclusion in key five-year defence plans which are scheduled to be completed by the end of the year.
But the panel's ideas could be scrapped if the main opposition Democratic Party, which has vowed to be more independent from the United States, ousts Aso's long-ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in an August 31 election. Opinion polls show they have a good chance of taking power.
"Basically these are proposals that have been produced under the auspices of the LDP and presented to the LDP," Democratic Party leader Yukio Hatoyama told reporters Tuesday.
"If we take power, we will of course have to re-think them from our own point of view," he added.
The Democrats' policy chief, Masayuki Naoshima, said in an interview with the news agency last week he saw no need to rush to complete the five-year plans.
As the world's second-largest economy struggles to emerge from its worst recession since World War Two and unemployment nears a record high, the Democratic Party has focused on boosting household incomes ahead of the election.
The LDP has attacked them for what they say is an inability to handle defense issues, amid growing regional threats from North Korean missiles and China's burgeoning military.
"Security is not a vote-winner," said Ikuo Kayahara, a retired major-general and now a professor at Tokyo's Takushoku University.
"The LDP has been campaigning on security and there may be some people who applaud that. But people who don't know where the next meal is coming from see it as something that can be put off until later," he added.
Some analysts say the Democratic Party, which was formed by unlikely alliances across the political spectrum, is likely to be hampered by deep rifts over security policy. The party's lawmakers include former Socialists, LDP defectors and hawkish younger lawmakers.
The panel's proposals would further stretch the interpretation of Japan's post-war pacifist constitution, allowing Tokyo to support Washington, for example by trying to shoot down missiles headed for US territory.
Such plans could potentially alarm neighbors China and South Korea, where many suffered under Japanese militarism before and during World War Two.
The committee also suggests relaxing restrictions on the import and export of weapons, to allow Japan's defence industry to develop. The proposals are intended for inclusion in key five-year defence plans which are scheduled to be completed by the end of the year.
But the panel's ideas could be scrapped if the main opposition Democratic Party, which has vowed to be more independent from the United States, ousts Aso's long-ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in an August 31 election. Opinion polls show they have a good chance of taking power.
"Basically these are proposals that have been produced under the auspices of the LDP and presented to the LDP," Democratic Party leader Yukio Hatoyama told reporters Tuesday.
"If we take power, we will of course have to re-think them from our own point of view," he added.
The Democrats' policy chief, Masayuki Naoshima, said in an interview with the news agency last week he saw no need to rush to complete the five-year plans.
As the world's second-largest economy struggles to emerge from its worst recession since World War Two and unemployment nears a record high, the Democratic Party has focused on boosting household incomes ahead of the election.
The LDP has attacked them for what they say is an inability to handle defense issues, amid growing regional threats from North Korean missiles and China's burgeoning military.
"Security is not a vote-winner," said Ikuo Kayahara, a retired major-general and now a professor at Tokyo's Takushoku University.
"The LDP has been campaigning on security and there may be some people who applaud that. But people who don't know where the next meal is coming from see it as something that can be put off until later," he added.
Some analysts say the Democratic Party, which was formed by unlikely alliances across the political spectrum, is likely to be hampered by deep rifts over security policy. The party's lawmakers include former Socialists, LDP defectors and hawkish younger lawmakers.