Unrealistic Evacuation Scenario

Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, insisted on necessity of protecting an American vessel carrying Japanese citizens evacuating from battle ground in his press conference for explaining his intention to make exercising collective self-defense right possible last month. According to a report of Asahi newspaper, the United States had dismissed to include operation of U.S. force to send Japanese citizen in a bilateral agreement. In what kind of case does Japanese force have to exercise its collective self-defense right?

Abe exhibited his strange idea about a case, in which Self-defense Force will need to protect a U.S. vessel. “Now, 1.5 million Japanese live in foreign country and 18 million people travel abroad a year. It might be possible that a conflict will abruptly be happening there. It might be possible that a U.S. vessel, which is an ally of Japan and capable enough to do, sending Japanese citizens escaping from the country will be attacked. Even in such a case, Self-defense Force cannot protect the vessel, if the Japanese are not attacked. This is a current interpretation of the Constitution,” told Abe.

Putting aside a question about when such a case will happen, Asahi raised an example in 1997 and 1998 when Japan and U.S. talked to review bilateral security guideline. Assuming contingency in Korean Peninsula, Japan requested to include non-combatant evacuation operation, in which U.S. Force carry Japanese evacuees as a return of Japan’s support to U.S., and U.S. accepted that. But in the process of legislation for contingency around Japan, that operation was dropped from the menu of U.S. support to Japan. Evacuation effort of U.S. is categorized into four objectives, U.S. citizen, permanent resident of U.S., U.K. citizen and others, and the Japanese was included in “others.”

The episode revealed U.S. reluctance in being involved in chores stemmed from requirement of alliance, which is not so crucial in actual contingency. Abe’s argument ignored a common notion that evacuation of citizens from foreign countries is a non-military matter of each nation. For that purpose, every country deploys consulate offices in every foreign country.

Still, Abe insisted on reinterpretation of the Constitution, saying that “I have a responsibility of securing life of citizens as a Prime Minister in every kind of cases.” Oh please don’t do such a thing, Mr. Prime Minister. If Japanese vessel of Marine Self-defense Force approaches to U.S. vessel, the enemy will realize that the U.S. vessel is carrying Japanese citizens. It puts Japanese lives in jeopardy, an effort which has nothing to do with your responsibility.