Merchant of Death

Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito are going to unleash Japanese government providing other nation’s troops with weapons and ammunitions. It means removing the line between direct support of war and taking distance from battle. Although Japan has kept its standpoint of being away from weapons sales under the three principles of weapon exports, it changed its attitude to be positive on providing with weapons with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s coinage of “positive pacifism.” It actually is making Japan a merchant of death.

Under Article 9 of the Constitution of Japan, which renounced war as a way for solving international conflicts, Japanese government has been refraining from being involved in other nation’s war. After Gulf War, when Japan’s limited contribution only in financial support was criticized, Japan legislated for joining peacekeeping operation by United Nations. To deal with U.S. operation in Afghanistan in 2001 and reconstruction of Iraq in 2003, Japan made support through temporary legislations.

In the security reform under Abe administration, permanent law for sending SDF abroad is discussed. Although Periphery Situation Law of 1999, which determined Japan’s support for United States Forces in contingency in Korean Peninsula, prohibits providing with weapons and ammunitions, new permanent law will not set that limit. There will be no concept of “non-battlefield,” where SDF cannot join in a military operation in the law

Since 1967, Japanese government upheld three principles of weapons exporting, which prohibited giving weapons to concerned parties in a conflict. Abe administration removed that limitation and making military business easier in Japan. Lifting the ban against procuring weapons and ammunitions to foreign troops should be an extension of his policy. Abe ignores a traditional interpretation that providing with weapons may be recognized as use of force in overseas, which is prohibited in the Constitution.

The government is establishing a new agency in Ministry of Defense for procurement of military equipment. By integrating a section for procurement with researching section, the ministry expects cost cut for reinforcing its equipments. That policy will support weapons business, contributing to implementation of Abenomics.

The main reason of more positive procurement of weapons is economic growth or revisionism of pacifistic history of Japan rather than supporting international cause of fighting terrorism. DNA of economic animal or war fighter still remains in the Japanese.