On December 12, DPJ Policy Research Committee Chair Masayuki Naoshima, made the following statement:

The new terrorism special measures bill was rejected by the House of Councillors following opposition from the DPJ and other opposition parties. Even though the ruling coalition should respect the will of the House of Councillors, which represents the most recent opinions of the electorate, the coalition decided to resubmit the bill to the House of Representatives and force it into law. Ignoring the will of voters in this way will create problems for the future.

Levels of public trust in the Defense Ministry and Self-Defense Forces have already been damaged significantly by a string of scandals including the involvement of a former Vice Minister of Defense in a bribery incident, a collision between a Self-Defense vessel and a fishing boat, the recording of incorrect information on fuel volumes supplied to the US military, the mistaken deletion of ships logs, the leaking of confidential information and the death of a Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) member at the MSDF First Service School. On top of this, former Air Self-Defense Force Chief of Staff Toshio Tomogami, who wrote an essay criticizing the government's official position on World War II, was allowed to retire with full benefits, severely compromising civilian control of the military, the cornerstone of Japan's national security. Given these developments, it is extremely disappointing that the ruling coalition has forced through a bill allowing the Self-Defense Forces to operate overseas.

In Afghanistan, the security situation continues to deteriorate with incidents including the recent murder of the NGO "Peshawar-kai" member Kazuya Ito. The Japanese government recently sent a study team to Afghanistan but has refused to make their report public. Disclosure of this information to opposition parties is required for Diet debate on which civilian control of the military is founded.

There is a current danger of famine occurring in Afghanistan and the need to provide emergency food aid. The DPJ believes that the Government of Japan's current role should be to provide civilian and humanitarian support for the reconstruction and stability of Afghanistan. The government should not be providing fuel for the US military in the Indian Ocean but rather shifting the focus towards diplomatic efforts to achieve peace and support activities that will truly benefit Afghanistan's people.