Political Use of Kidnapping

Not a week passed after the second Japanese hostage, Kenji Goto, was killed by Islamic State, Prime Minister of Japan has gone as far as possibility of fundamental dismantlement of its post-war pacifist principle. Shinzo Abe announced his willingness to amend Article IX of the Constitution of Japan to expand the role of Self-defense Force in overseas. Not only leaving his responsibility behind, Abe started taking advantage of the opportunity for his political agenda.

The question was delivered from a legislator affiliated with ultra-right party called Party for Future Generations, who demanded amendment of Article IX to rescue the Japanese captured in foreign country. “Liberal Democratic Party has already proposed the draft of the amendment of Article IX. The reason why we amend is to complete the mission to protect lives and properties of the people,” told Abe. The draft of LDP was written under the leadership of Abe at the time the party was opposite against the administration of Democratic Party of Japan.

Current Self-defense Force Law restricts the force to do only transportation activity in case the Japanese were captured in foreign country. Article IX prohibits rescuing operation with use of weapons. Abe administration is working for enable it through new legislature, when host nation approves the activity of Self-defense Force and there is no country, or quasi-country, that antagonizes Japan. The legislature will be discussed later in the Diet.

New legislature must not be helpful in recent kidnapping case by Islamic State, because Syria will not approve the operation by Self-defense Force. Abe seems to have thought that the fundamental solution would be amending Article IX that prohibits use of force in solving international conflict.

However, the idea is fundamentally wrong. It is ridiculous for a government to decide dispatching troops after the kidnappers threatened the life of hostages. They will be killed immediately when the troops arrive or by collateral damage of military operation. To save lives of hostage, the government needs to take non-military measures. Even if Japan can exercise full-fledged military ability, it cannot do more than airstrike by United States forces, which has not gotten effective achievement.

Abe looks brave enough to say “I am responsible for lives of the Japanese nation.” But, he never talks about how he thinks about his own responsibility on losing two Japanese lives, under the promise of doing the best for saving them. He looks like absorbed in political advantage stemming from the kidnapping.