Further Weakening Civilian Control

Both House of Representatives and Councillors passed a bill for strengthening power of military staffs in Ministry of Defense. Amended Ministry of Defense Settlement Act rendered Joint Chief of Staffs and each Chief of Staffs in Ground, Marine or Air Self-defense Force a status paralleled with Chief Secretary or Bureau Chiefs. Military power of Japan further unleashed than ever by an administration that preferred to have a glorious force once existed in Imperial Japan.

Ministry of Defense Settlement Act was legislated in 1954, when Japanese Self-defense Force was established. In its Article 12, the act determined that Chief Secretary and Bureau Chiefs support Minister of Defense, when the minister made an order or supervise Chief of Staffs. This provision has been recognized as a symbol of civilian control in Japan. With the expansion of missions, such as peace-keeping operations of United Nations or disaster relief in everywhere in the world, it became necessary for the minister to hear opinions from military staffs, who know well about actual situation of activities of self-defense force. New Article 12 describes the role of Chief Secretary and Bureau Chiefs as “supporting Minister of Defense along with supporting service of Joint Chief of Staffs and other Chiefs of Staffs.

Civilian control in Japan has been based on deep regrets to the tragic failure in the last great war, in which Japanese military exceeded too far and led the nation to a wrong direction. After the war, military staffs were under dual control by politicians and civilian bureaucrats. Being afraid of weakened civilian control, Democratic Party of Japan and Japan Communist Party opposed to the bill.

The amendment also included establishment of Defense Procurement Agency, which would integrally take charge of procurement of military equipment. With a cabinet decision for lifting ban for exporting arms last year, the agency will support overseas strategy of military industries and negotiate with other nations. To preserve flexibility of exporting business, Japanese government will allow other nations using force imported from Japan for other undesignated purposes.

It seems that Japanese government is going back to militarism. Exporting procurement does not directly connect to defending the homeland of Japan. By raising status of defense section, the government looks like announcing the people that Japan is waging war again as a measure for solving international conflicts.