Paragraph Title: Article 9
The government and the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) should not lift the constitutional ban on collective defense in the near future. The Japan’s collective defense is banned by the government interpretation of the Constitution's war-renouncing Article 9. As a matter of fact, many Japanese are negative about the right to collective defense. According to a survey, held on May 12-13, 62% of Japanese agree to ban collective defense. They are concerned that if the ban is lifted, the Self Defense Force (SDF) will be more actively and deeply involved in U.S. military operations overseas. Despite the citizens’ position, the Government and the LDP are thinking too further the issue and collective defense. According to Hajime Funada, former chairman of the LDP's research panel on constitutional issues, the majority is thinking not about the decision to change it or not but about how to secure the right to collective defense. All thirteen members of the panel, called by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to debate the use of collective defense, are advocators of Abe’s position to criticize the interpretation for limiting Japan's role in its security arrangement with the United States. Furthermore, according to the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty, Japan isn’t required to defend the U.S. if it’s attacked. Instead of helping to defend the U.S., Japan gave a vast sum and extensive land for U.S. military bases. However, Prime Minister Abe, most notable among conservative politicians, argued that Japan would lose the obligation in wartime if Japan doesn’t change the interpretation so as to allow more military cooperation between Japan and the USA. In conclusion, the Government and LDP should step back and pause for thought, reconsider their options, the amendments, and their broader effects. We should also, as Japanese citizens, make the discussion livelier and take time to think about what Constitution's war-renouncing Article 9 means to us.
Kenji Motobayashi
Bibliography
Yoshida, Reiji. “Collective defense: What it means for Japan.” The Japan Times, May 19, 2007.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/print/nn20070519f1.html
Kyodo News. “62% OK with Japan's ban on collective defense.” The Japan Times, May 14, 2007.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20070514a2.html
Yoshida, Reiji. “Proponent of rewriting Article 9 still wants limits.” The Japan Times, May 3, 2007.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/print/nn20070503f2.html
Nakata, Hiroko. “New panel to debate collective defense.” The Japan Times, April 26, 2007.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/print/nn20070426a3.html
