Civilian Control Questioned

A document secretly circulated inside Japanese Self-defense Force is slowing down the discussion over new security legislation in the House of Councillors. There were some points in the document, which needed to be discussed in the Diet before the Force raised as actual issues. The opposite parties questioned whether civilian control had been working in Ministry of Defense.

The document was revealed in the discussion of a special committee for the security legislation in the House by a lawmaker with Japan Communist Party, Akira Koike, last week. Ministry of Defense, Gen Nakatani, had not known about it when Koike raised the question. But, Nakatani, not only admitted the existence of the document, explained that the document had been made under his order. He was trying to emphasize that civilian control was working in his ministry.

After the Cabinet led by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe decided new security bills on May 14^th, the document was prepared by the section of Joint Staffs for a TV conference of commanders on May 26^th. The document explained that JSDF would consider operative guidance for military controlling site along with Alliance Coordination Mechanism, a concept which had been included in revised Guidelines for Japan-U.S. Defense Cooperation of this April.

But that operation was impossible before the security bills would be passed in current session of the Diet. The opposite parties argue that JSDF is out of control to the extent of preparing for operation without endorsement of the Diet. “What does our discussion mean?” was fundamental question of the opposites. Needless to say, JSDF can make no activity beyond rule of law, even how the leading parties have great majority in the Diet.

The document also described that JSDF would consider how to be engaged in the situation in South China Sea, where China was continuing landfill. While the revised guideline did not indicate the place for JSDF operation, the document clearly assumed South China Sea as a possible area. Ministers kept on making unclear whether JSDF would go to South China Sea in the discussion of the Diet. Military staffs were discussing what the political leaders had not determined.

Japanese government has been laying strict civilian control over military section with the lesson of Imperial Force, which was unleashed from political control during World War II. The episode of preparing secret document indicated deterioration of legislative branch of Japanese government, which was occupied by novice lawmakers under control of populist leaders of Abe administration.