Prime Minister Abe Shinzo announced May 15 explicitly a ‘basic policy’ by which he will approve the right of collective self-defense. It was just after his private advisory organ had presented a report to propose him a new interpretation of the Constitution. Premier entrusted his coalition parties to study the issue, but practically his comment is a cabinet decision. The remark of Premier is flagrant violation of Article Nine of the Constitution.


LET’S STRUGGLE NOT TO MAKE JAPAN A BELLIGERENT STATE!


The ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is intended to fulfill its pledge for the general election of 2012 and the Upper House election of 2013, if it succeeds in approving the right of collective defense by altering interpretation of Article Nine. The LDP is to legislate ‘a basic law on national security’ to undermine the war-renouncing article.


A bill for basic law on national security incorporates a concept to lead Japan to a belligerent state based on the Act on National Security Council and the Act to Protect Specified Secrets. Both were approved last December with force during the Extraordinary Session of the Diet despite waves of strong mass campaigns staged around the Diet building and harsh criticisms from various sectors.


If a new interpretation of the Constitution allows the right of collective defense, direct laws, like Law on Emergencies Surrounding Japan and the Self Defense Forces Act, might be amended to be more precise.


Indirect Laws to Prepare Wars


One more channel that the state power focuses on is to arrange ‘indirect rules to prepare wars’, which include legislation on conspiracy and revision of Wire-Tapping Act. The two laws will constitute a criminal and judicial tool that surveys and watches people thoroughly.


If they are legislated, Japan may become a nation described by George Orwell in his book ‘Nineteen Eighty Four’. Concretely speaking, the Common Code Number Act, approved in 2012, will be applied and a system to identify individual faces may be installed in the street. The latter has lately provoked a controversy among citizens; it was to be installed at the Osaka railway station last April, but due to strong opposition the plan is postponed.


The bill for conspiracy has been suspended three times due to tenacious objection of people, but it will be presented to the Diet during its Extraordinary Session scheduled in September. As for the Wiretapping Act, a special commission of the Legislative Council of Ministry of Justice has begun to work to elaborate it.


Militarist School Education


Even though a nation has perfect legislation for dispatching troops to combat zones and blocking voices of opposition, it cannot freely commit in wars. It is necessary to produce militarist youth who support policies, and women should be organized into associations on a local basis. A holy basis should be established to defend statehood, like Yasukuni Shrine, to let people worship spirits of war-dead. The government has already involved in preparatory jobs.


The Abe government tries to aggravate the existing school education system in line with approval of the right of collective defense. It needs to produce militarist boys and girls to drive the nation to warfare. A first step is to reorganize the Board of Education System. A bill to amend the Act on the Organization and Operation of Local Educational Administration has been submitted to the Diet and it is under debates.


Accidental Collision May Bring Armed Conflict


The Act on National Referendum, an open tool to amend Article Nine, is under Diet debate for amendment so that the voting right may be downed to 18 years of age. The bill was presented by lawmakers of seven political parties in joint efforts. It will certainly pass the House of Representatives to be enacted.


Here raised is quotation from an article of the Asahi Shinbun newspaper dated March 28 with a title of ‘The Right of Collective Defense ? Where will it go?’ It is about the current dangerous Sino-Japanese relations written by Prof. Fujiwara Kiichi, Tokyo University.


‘Suppose a small, accidental collision. It may cause an armed conflict if the both sides do not compromise. The world history tells us this fact. What we must be careful is an illusion relied on optimism.’


May 27, 2014