By Clint Richards
The LDP has made its case for collective self-defense. Will coalition partner New Komeito influence the process?
As The Diplomat noted yesterday, an advisory panel appointed by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was due to provide a report on the expanded parameters the government would like to set around the concept of collective self-defense. That report has now been delivered and some significant sound bites are making their way into the foreign press. There hasn’t been much information so far that wasn’t already expected or leaked to the public. However, most of those interviewed with ties to the government were determined to show how the new laws could help Japan be a more reliable ally to the U.S.
The report itself makes protection of the U.S. alliance a key factor. As a case study, the report “suggested that the government study whether Japan should be allowed to use the right of collective self-defense when a U.S. naval ship is attacked by a third country on the high seas.”
Former Japanese military commanders have pointed out that currently, Japan cannot even intercept ballistic missiles intended for U.S. assets. In an interview with the Japan Times, retired Vice Admiral Yoji Koda said, “The U.S. may expect us to shoot down a missile (flying toward an American territory), but we actually won’t. Such a situation could actually happen.” Some Japanese officials claim allowing collective self-defense will simply normalize an alliance in which the U.S. is obliged to protect Japan should it be attacked.
Read the full story at The Diplomat