Toward Mightier Japan

As did in a series of visits to foreign countries except China and South Korea, Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, kept on selling his political agenda in General Assembly of the United Nations. He stressed Japan’s willingness to contribute to international security with “positive pacifism,” the concept which would enable reinterpretation of the Constitution for further military cooperation with allied country, namely United States. The fact that he appealed it to international community and accepted no obvious opposition may encourages him to promote his conservative policies.

In his speech at annual general debate, Abe tried to connect international security with security of Japan. “Any one nation cannot maintain its peace and security only by itself,” told him. It meant that Japan would more actively participate in peace keeping operation of U.N., or back multi-national force.

The Constitution of Japan renounces use of force as measure for solving international conflict. In the activity of reconstruction in southern Iraq after major battle of Iraq War had ceased, there was an argument whether Japan’s self-defense force could, in light of the Constitution, help foreign colleagues, when enemy had attacked them. In post-war activity of Gulf War, sweeping mines in Persian Gulf was recognized as unconstitutional. Abe wants to lift those restrictions up for further contribution.

If it were for protecting its sovereignty from enemy, it is possible for Japan to help foreign troops by reinterpretation of the Constitution enabling exercise of collective self-defense force. But, it needs constitutional amendment for Japan to participate in military actions in order to protect other countries.

In his speech, Abe supposedly intended to declare that Japan was going to join future activities for maintaining world order. Meanwhile, he would have believed that might help reinforce Japan’s capability against its neighbor’s advance. He looks not only to reinterpretation, but also to constitutional amendment for enhancement of Japan’s military power.

On the other hand, his diplomatic efforts to reduce tension with neighbor countries have not worked very much. The government of Japan pretends to be positive for resuming leaders talk in a less serious way. To his conviction to reinterpret history for justifying Japan’s wartime activity, China and Korea are firmly protesting. It is fair to say that leaning on military enhancement is a consequence of diplomatic stalemate with neighbor countries.