Comments on: The problem of pacifism https://www.policyforum.net/the-problem-of-pacifism/ The APPS Policy Forum a public policy website devoted to Asia and the Pacific. Thu, 26 Oct 2017 00:06:46 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.1.7 By: Jacob Kovalio https://www.policyforum.net/the-problem-of-pacifism/#comment-9077 Thu, 01 Jun 2017 14:42:07 +0000 https://www.policyforum.net/?p=18134#comment-9077 The first to demand the abrogation of A-9 was General Douglas MacArthur himself in the late 1940s in the wake of the Cold War. The Japanese refused. Amending the Constitution so that the Emperor be referred to as head of state instead of as the “symbol of the nation’s unity” was on the founding platform of the LDP in 1955. That wasn’t achieved either. And yet, Japan’s political culture is such that the sanctity of major documents like the Peace Constitution is being outwardly maintained while in reality, a situation of “de-facto amendment” is allowed; otherwise the Emperor would not function as a head of state in all but name and Japan would not have the superb 250,000-strong conventional defense force as well as a sprawling defense industry.

Mr. Abe’s nationalistic inclinations as well as his link with Nippon Kaigi are not the main reason for the growing support for the amendment/ replacement moves. After all, PKO operations which also caused a lively national debate began in 1992, years before “cooperative self defense.” Subsequently, it was the DPJ that issued a White Paper on security in 2012 that for the first time identified China and its satrapy, North Korea, as Japan’s and Asia Pacific’s top security threats. Therefore, but for Communist China’s aggressive HESHIN LI’I [Critical Areas] expansionist imperialism, Japan would not have to consider [post facto in a sense] amending or abrogating A-9 or the entire Constitution, as well as to significantly increasing its defense expenditures, in tandem with all its neighbours, from South Korea through Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and Australia, in addition to the American “pivot” of sorts.

]]> By: Dr. Debito Arudou https://www.policyforum.net/the-problem-of-pacifism/#comment-9009 Tue, 16 May 2017 20:01:16 +0000 https://www.policyforum.net/?p=18134#comment-9009 Let’s consider some of the claims made within the article. Quote:

“Abe said that ‘the philosophy of pacifism will continue to be maintained’, and that “he plans to keep Japan’s security posture defensive, maintain Article 9 and abide by international law.” Presumptuous of intent, if not a bit naive.

“[Nippon Kaigi] is not a representative, central or a powerfully influential political organization in Japan.” Really?

Here’s the crux: “The high level of partisanship has resulted in a poor public understanding of both the role of the SDF in defending Japan, and the inherent limitations of the Constitution in mitigating current and emerging security challenges for the country.”

By implication, if people would just calm down and be “transparent”, “dispassionate”, and non-“partisan”, unlike those “non-ideological strategic thinkers” (as if strategic thinkers have no ideology?), then the threat that China and North Korea pose to us naturally peace-loving Japanese would become obvious, and revising that pesky Constitution would be a matter of course.

In sum, the public’s distrust of Japan’s descendants of wartime elites is merely a matter of miscommunication?

I daresay the ideologues in power in Japan have a lot more going on inside than mere “strategic thinking”.

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