New Controversial Gaiatsu

Not unequivocally saying, the United States demanded Japan to enhance its military role in Asia-Pacific region. Over seventy years ago, U.S. denied Japan’s expansion in Asia, which was assertively liberation of Asian people, but actually an exercise of imperialism. Now, U.S. encourages Japan to go forward, only if it were for supporting U.S. operation. But, political leaders in Japan are delighted having opportunity of expedition to another hemisphere of the earth.

U.S. Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel, expressed U.S. support to Japan’s reinterpretation of the Article IX of the Constitution of Japan in order to let Japan’s Self-defense Force exercise its right of collective self-defense force. Although U.S. government maintained a line of “It’s up to you,” Hagel became the first official in Obama Cabinet to go beyond it.

In the meeting with Hagel in Tokyo on Sunday, Japanese Minister of Defense, Itsunori Onodera, told that Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, would decide the reinterpretation to write new roles of the Japanese force in Japan-U.S. Security Guidelines that will be revised this fall. Looking to the schedule toward the agreement, both governments seemed to have realized that that was the right time for stepping up.

New Guidelines will be determining roles, missions and capabilities of each nation in dealing with emerging challenges in Asia-Pacific region, namely China and North Korea. Although U.S. has not changed rebalancing policy to Asia, it is facing growing instability in Middle East and Europe. The fact here is, however, as President Barack Obama said, “U.S. is not world’s policeman.” Having no choice except relying on U.S., political leaders in Japan are in a hurry of expanding the role of self-defense force as a big agenda of themselves.

Basically, the reinterpretation is a reflection of U.S. rebalancing strategy. Behind bilateral talks in governmental level, there is a great argument over changing traditional pacifist interpretation. Polls showed growing concern of Japanese people on being involved in wars for U.S. If U.S. encourages further integration of military operation, there will be increasing negative opinions that U.S. is putting pressure, or gaiatsu, on Japan.

This is a security dilemma. There actually is potential threat in Northeast Asia. Japan and U.S. need to deal with it. U.S. wants more help from Japan. Japan is basically willing to. But, people in Japan dot no believe in what their government is doing. They see hidden intention of political leaders to expand governmental power over the people. The encouragement of U.S. government looks to be a pressure on ordinary people, as long as Japanese government attributes its military expansion to U.S.