ニュース 2015/06/26 Okada stresses Japan faces a choice between “continuing to uphold the pacifist spirit of the Constitution” and aiming to “become a ‘normal nation’” On June 26, DPJ President Katsuya Okada asked Prime Minister Abe for his views on “situations that threaten Japan’s survival” and other matters, in a session of the House of Representatives Special Committee on Legislation for the Peace and Security of Japan and the International Community. At the start of his speech, Okada pointed out that according to opinion polls around 80% of Japanese think the government explanations of the legislation are “insufficient”. He stressed that what was important in deliberating the issue was not the amount of time allocated to discussion, and that “deciding whether to move to a vote should take place according to the degree of public understanding of the issue.” ●Judging when a situation “threatens Japan’s survival” Okada commented on differentiating between “situations that will have an important influence on Japan’s peace and security” (i.e. those where Japan would provide logistic support for the United States military and others) and “situations that threaten Japan’s survival” (i.e. situations that would involve the use of force by Japan), something that he had also raised in the recent Prime Minister’s Question Time. He stated “the criteria for making judgements” on which category a situation came under “was almost identical” apart from those portions relating to the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty already explained by the Prime Minister, and called on Abe to clearly explain the difference between the two types of situations. In response, Abe said that “situations that threaten Japan’s survival are included within the category of situations that will have an important influence on Japan’s peace and security”, and explained the process that would be used to identify a situation having an important influence on Japan’s peace and security as being a situation that threatens Japan’s survival. Okada then asked, “At what stage would you identify that a situation has become one that threatens Japan’s survival and mobilize the SDF to defend Japan?” The Prime Minister said that a conflict in a neighboring country would be one example, and explained the following: (1) In situations that have an important influence on Japan’s peace and security, Japan will engage in logistic support, (2) If this situation escalates into one where there is an imminent danger of an armed attack, mobilization for defense becomes possible, but since the opponent has not let engaged in the use of force, Japan is not able to engage in the use of force itself. (3) In the case of one of Japan’s Aegis destroyers shooting down a missile aimed at a U.S. warship and the enemy attack thereby being directed at Japan, it would be possible to determine that Japan’s survival is threatened. In response, Okada pointed out that in a case such as this there would not be time to carry out the necessary political and legislative procedures required and so the example was illogical. ●Bilateral relations between Japan and the Republic of Korea This year marks the 50th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and the Republic of Korea. Okada said that when the then DPJ Prime Minister Naoto Kan had issued a statement on the 100th anniversary of Japan’s annexation of Korea in 2010, Sosei Nippon [Japan’s Rebirth], a conservative organization promoting traditional values that is chaired by Prime Minister Abe, had described the statement as “exceedingly masochistic and something that breaks faith with both the Japanese people and Japanese history.” Okada expressed his regret for these comments, saying, “Even though the Prime Minister at the time was doing his utmost to improve the Japan-ROK relationship, his efforts were rendered totally useless by repeated remarks made by prominent politicians denying his efforts.” Okada warned the Prime Minister to ensure that relations with neighboring countries were not adversely affected by the Prime Minister’s Statement set to be announced on the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII. ●What kind of nation should Japan be? Okada pointed out that the existence of Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution underpins the 70 years of peace that Japan has enjoyed since the end of WWII. He also stated the Japanese people were concerned that the proposed security legislation would make it difficult for Japan to refuse requests from the United States. Okada went on to express the concern that “The good reputation enjoyed by post-war Japan internationally rests on our promise that ‘we will not use force’. If we end up changing this, then we may also end up changing the way that the international community views Japan.” Okada also commented on the LDP’s Constitution proposal, saying, “The LDP wants to see a Japan that can use the collective right to self-defense without any restrictions, in other words a ‘normal nation’.” He ended his remarks by stating, “We at the DPJ have a different vision. We believe in a Japan that restricts the use of force overseas, and continues to uphold the pacifist spirit of the Constitution. The Japanese people are now being called upon to choose whether to continue with us on this path or to accompany the LDP toward making Japan a ‘normal nation’.”