Japan takes historic step from post-war

pacifism, OKs fighting for allies

1 OF 5. Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe waves pon his arrival at his official resi!ence in "ok#o Jl# $, %&$'(
BY LINDA SIEG AND KIYOSHI TAKENAKA-
TOKYO Tue Jul 1, 2014
)*eters+ - Japan took a historic step awa# from its post-war pacifism on "es!a# b#
en!ing a ban that has kept the militar# from fighting abroa! since $,'-, a victor# for
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bt a move that has rile! .hina an! worries man#
Japanese voters(
"he change, the most !ramatic shift in polic# since Japan set p its post-war arme!
forces /& #ears ago, will wi!en Japan's militar# options b# en!ing the ban on
e0ercising 1collective self-!efense1, or ai!ing a frien!l# contr# n!er attack(
Abe's cabinet a!opte! a resoltion otlining the shift, which also rela0es limits on
activities in 2(3(-le! peace-keeping operations an! 1gre# zone1 inci!ents short of fll-
scale war, 4efence Minister 5tsnori Ono!era tol! reporters( 6ong constraine! b# the
post-war constittion, Japan's arme! forces will become more aligne! with the
militaries of other a!vance! nations , in terms of its options, bt the government will
be war# of ptting boots on the gron! in mltilateral operations sch as the %&&7
2(S(-le! invasion of 5ra8(
Abe repeate! that stance on "es!a#, while stressing Japan ha! to respon! to an
increasingl# togh secrit# environment(
1"here is no change in the general principle that we cannot sen! troops overseas,1 Abe
tol! a televise! news conference, flanke! b# a poster showing Japanese mothers an!
infants fleeing a theoretical combat zone on a 2(S( vessel n!er attack(
"he new polic# has angere! an increasingl# assertive .hina, whose ties with Japan
have fra#e! !e to a maritime row, mistrst an! the legac# of Japan's past militar#
aggression( 1.hina opposes the Japanese fabricating the .hina threat to promote its
!omestic political agen!a,1 .hinese 9oreign Ministr# spokesman :ong 6ei tol! a news
conference in ;ei<ing(
1=e !eman! that Japan respect the reasonable secrit# concerns of its Asian
neighbors an! pr!entl# han!le the relevant matter(1
Soth Korea, like Japan allie! with the 2nite! States, bt still aggrieve! abot "ok#o's
%&th centr# colonization of the Korean peninsla, sai! it wol! not accept an# change
in polic# affecting its secrit# nless it gave its agreement(
Abe's a!visers have sai! "ok#o shol! take no action involving a frien!l# contr#
withot that contr#'s consent(
"he shift, however, will be welcome! b# =ashington, which has long rge! "ok#o to
become a more e8al alliance partner, an! b# Sotheast Asia nations that also have
rows with .hina
.onservatives sa# the constittion's war-renoncing Article , has limite! Japan's
abilit# to !efen! itself an! that a changing regional power balance, incl!ing a rising
.hina, means policies mst be more fle0ible(
1.onservative governments have pshe! the envelope har! an! often to get the pblic
to agree to a more elastic interpretation of article ,( Abe is taking a bigger leap an!
getting awa# with it, thanks to the .hinese,1 sai! .olmbia 2niversit# political science
professor >err# .rtis(
Abe, who took office in %&$% promising to revive Japan's econom# an! bolster its
secrit# postre, has pshe! for the change - which revises a longstan!ing government
interpretation of the charter - !espite wariness among or!inar# Japanese(
?O"@*S =A*A
Some voters worr# abot entanglement in foreign wars an! others are angr# at what
the# see as a gtting of Article , b# ignoring formal amen!ment proce!res( "he
charter has never been revise! since it was a!opte! after Japan's $,'- !efeat(
On Sn!a#, a man set himself on fire near a bs# "ok#o intersection - a rare form of
protest in Japan - after speaking ot against Abe's re-interpretation of Article ,(
=hile Abe spoke, thosan!s of protesters, incl!ing pensioners, hosewives an!
emplo#ees <st leaving work, gathere! near the premier's office carr#ing banners an!
shoting, 14on't !estro# Article ,1, 1=e're against war1 an! 13o more Abe1(
1After this bill is enacte!, Japanese sol!iers col! be sent abroa! to fight foreign wars -
we !on't want that,1 sai! Aoshihar 2chinma, /%, an artist an! farmer, wearing a
helmet sa#ing 1, 3o =ar1(
1@ven if Japan !oesn't go to war abroa! an#time soon, 5 !on't want m# chil!ren to go
war even in $& or %& #ears,1 sai! teacher Aska Mi#anaga, 7B, stan!ing with her son an!
!aghter(
6egal revisions to implement the change mst be approve! b# parliament an!
restrictions col! be impose! in the process(
Since its $,'- !efeat, Japan's militar# has not engage! in combat( Past governments
have stretche! the constittion's limits to !evelop a militar# now on par with that of
9rance an! to permit non-combat missions abroa!, bt its arme! forces remain far
more constraine! legall# than those of other nations(
.hina has alrea!# arge! that Japan is raising regional tensions an! seeks to back
its case b# pointing to Abe's efforts to cast "ok#o's wartime past with a less apologetic
tone(
15t makes it easier for competitors to paint Japan as a wolf in sheep's clothing,1 sai!
*ichar! Samels, !irector of the .enter for 5nternational St!ies at the Massachsetts
5nstitte of "echnolog#( ;t he a!!e!C 1Jst becase Japan is strong !oes not mean
that it will be aggressive(1
Accor!ing to the cabinet resoltion, Japan col! e0ercise force to the minimm !egree
necessar# in cases where a contr# with which it has close ties is attacke! an! the
following con!itions are metC there is a threat to the e0istence of the Japanese state,
there is a clear !anger that the people's right to life, libert# an! the prsit of
happiness col! be sbverte!, an! there is no appropriate alternative(
Precisel# how the change might work in practice remains nclear, althogh it is likel#
to ease the path to <oint militar# e0ercises with contries other than the 2nite! States(
3ew Komeito, the <nior partner in Abe's governing coalition, sa#s the scope of
revision is limite!(