Whether Japan should acquire capabilities to conduct preemptive strikes on enemy bases is becoming a hot topic in the government and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party following U. S. President Donald Trump’s inauguration.
Concerned that Trump may reduce the U. S. military involvement in the defense of Japan, some officials and politicians propose enhancing this country’s own defense capabilities by introducing new equipment that can be used to strike North Korean missile bases, informed sources said.
To acquire such new capabilities, however, Japan would need to resolve a host of problems, including heavy defense costs and consistency with its long-held principle of the exclusively defensive posture.
“We need to consider how we should protect the lives and property of the Japanese people and what kind of deterrents can be possible under the exclusively defensive policy,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told a House of Representatives committee meeting Thursday. He sounded positive about discussions on whether Japan should own capabilities to attack enemy bases.
Under the war-renouncing Article 9 of the Constitution and the Japan-U. S. security treaty, the country’s Self-Defense Forces are responsible for the defense and the U. S. military for the offense.
The Japanese government’s interpretation of the Constitution, as explained in a 1956 statement by then-Prime Minister Ichiro Hatoyama, justifies the acquisition of capabilities to attack enemy bases provided that there are no other ways of protecting the country.
Despite the interpretation, however, Japan has chosen not to introduce any weapons that allow the country to attack enemy bases.
But the issue came into the limelight when Trump was installed as U. S. president Jan. 20.
In telephone talks with Abe on Saturday, Trump noted the U. S. commitment under its security pact with Japan. But before that, he repeatedly complained of the heavy burdens borne by the U. S. military, giving concerns to allies, including Japan.
At the same Lower House committee meeting, former Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera of the LDP called for strengthening Japan’s independent defense capabilities, saying the country cannot afford to let its security be swayed each time the United States goes through a leadership change.
In February, the LDP will set up a joint study team of the Research Commission on Security and the Policy Research Council’s National Defense Division to discuss defense capability issues, including abilities to attack enemy bases.
According to Defense Ministry officials, equipment needed for such attacks will include ballistic and cruise missiles and fighter jets mounted with precision-guided bombs, none of which are currently held by Japan.
If such equipment is introduced, Japan’s defense costs will shoot up from the current level of ¥5 trillion per year. If Japan moves to acquire an aircraft carrier, that could trigger an arms race, with China for instance.
Komeito, the LDP’s ally in the ruling camp, is cautious about Japan acquiring enemy attack capabilities. Even some LDP members call for a careful approach to the matter.
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