Draft of Cabinet Decision

National Security Council of Japan submitted a draft of cabinet decision on exercising collective self-defense right to the discussion between Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito on Tuesday. In the session, NSC explained that it was going to include “collective self-defense right” as a concept of international law, not necessarily as a term of reinterpretation of the Constitution of Japan, in the decision. Komeito, highly reluctant to the reinterpretation, is considering the draft at internal discussion.

The draft was mainly constructed with three parts; A) response to aggression just before situation of military attack, or gray-zone situation, B) contribution to peace and security of world society including collective security measures by United Nations peace-keeping operation, and C) act of self-defense capable under Article IX of the Constitution. Response to gray-zone situation was focused on how to quicken it. In joining international security measures, the draft stressed that logistic support would be done out of combat zone.

The greatest talking point was how to describe reinterpretation of the Constitution. As LDP vice-president suggested, the draft limited exercise of collective self-defense to when there would be a concern of existence of state being threatened and overturning liberty, life and pursuit of happiness of the citizens. Skeptical about the expression of “concern,” Komeito just received the draft and put it on the discussion inside the party.

In the discussion, Abe administration again introduced another concept of distinction. To include “collective self-defense right” in the decision, the administration considered two concepts of collective self-defense right, one in international law and another in the context of constitutional reinterpretation. Not mentioning reinterpretation of the Article IX, the administration officials are thinking of noticing that new condition is regarded as exercising collective self-defense right in terms of international law. This is a new line to compensate Abe’s insistence on the phrase with negative opinions inside Komeito.

Although Shinzo Abe administration has been seeking to deliver the decision by the end of current session in the Diet next Sunday, it seems to be difficult to get conclusion how to settle the dispute over expression. Abe and LDP started to assume a possibility of casting final conclusion to next week. There is an optimistic view that cabinet decision should be done by Abe’s visit to Australia early July.

This discussion does not reflect fundamental significance on whether declining a norm on which Japanese pacifism has been standing. If the administration really wants to reinterpret the Constitution, it should not escape from discussion over disabling constitutional principle for peace.