No. 1390 President Trump’s Uproar and Japan’s Ordinary Diet Session
How does the Japanese Diet respond to uproar of President Trump’s politics? It seems that both of the ruling and opposition parties try to evade outright discussions. Lawmakers do not seem to sincerely deliberate on the role of Japan. The New Socialist Party requests the Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP), the biggest opposition party, in particular, to encounter the ruling bloc resiliently.
NEEDED ARE STRAIGHTFORWARD AND ROBUST PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES
Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru made recently a Diet speech, in which he mentioned ‘a fun Japan’. It lacked a sense of tension and with no fresh point as far as diplomacy and national security are concerned. The premier, probably, did not want to incite the opposition camp as the ruling bloc of Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Komeito does not occupy the majority of seats in the parliament, while war preparation processes have been going easily as fait accompli without complications since approval of the controversial three documents on national security.
Key tasks for the opposition parties
Without persevering resistance from the opposition parties, the ruling bloc is successful in:
Integrating commanding mechanism between US and Japan with an assumption of relative decline of power on the side of the United States,
Evolving Japan’s military cooperation with Australia and the Philippines into a lattice system,
Developing military industries and lifting a ban of weapons’ export,
Fortifying the islands in the Southwestern region of Japan, and
Strengthening multilateral military drills with countries, including those of NATO.
Reelection of President Trump will accelerate these courses. Focusing on the inauguration of new US President, Japanese Premier, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Defense had made busy trips abroad, participating in the QUAD foreign ministers’ meeting, seeking to join the AUKUS structure and attempting to maintain the regional order in the Eastern Asia together with Malaysia and the Philippines.
Foreign Minister Iwaya Tsuyoshi hastily visited Republic of Korea (ROK), in which the trilateral military alignment of US/Japan/ROK faces a danger of ineffectiveness due to the impeachment of President Yun Suk-yeol. At the end of last year, a cooperative body was founded between the US and Japan to launch extended deterrence, but its details remain unannounced. Will the Japanese government share responsibilities with a president who plays with nuclear weapons?
Each of these issues must be debated in the parliament. The most crucial mission of the opposition parties is to stop the path leading to a war.
Prime Minister Ishiba prefers safe driving, avoiding risky words. So, the opposition camp must stage offensives.
Nevertheless, the CDP, the major opposition, does not show a rigid stance. President Noda Yoshihiko expressed his concern during his questioning in the Diet about the US president’s remarks to admit DPRK as a nuclear power. If the lawmaker believes so, he should have insisted that Japan should leave the mechanism of extended deterrence with the US. As for the buoys set up by China around the Senkakus, Mr. Noda openly requested the Japanese government to react sternly. If so, he should have pushed it further to urge the US and China to go to détente.
Fervent deliberations are necessary
The opposition camp should work to reduce the defense budget, if they want fiscal soundness. A CDP’s next speaker, following Mr. Noda, stated that he supports the bigger defense spending, asking for full explanation of the government and elimination of waste of money. He backed a need of proactive cyber defense actions, requesting sufficient debates.
The CDP’s lawmaker asserted to maintain ‘usual, good bilateral relations with ROK’. People and the opposition parties in ROK, however, who impeached President Yun, have felt crisis-ridden, because the Japanese government has concealed responsibilities for the war and provoked tension in the region through the trilateral US-Japan-ROK alliance against ‘North’ Korea.
President Trump told to expel Palestinian citizens from Gaza. The opposition parties in Japan must boldly challenge the current political realities in their parliamentary debates.
通常国会はトランプ政治の激動に、どう反応しているか。与野党とも議論は避けている風で、日本の役割について真正面から議論しているとは言えない。とりわけ立憲野党には奮起を促したい。
石破茂首相の施政方針演説は「楽しい日本」で緊張感はなく、外交・安保もことさら新しいところはない。少数与党で野党を刺激したくないし、「安保３文書」以降、戦争準備の既成事実化は支障なく進んでいるから。
野党の喫緊の課題
米国の体力低下を想定した日米の軍事指揮系統の統合、豪比などとの「格子型」軍事連携、軍事産業育成と武器輸出解禁、南西諸島の要塞化、ＮＡＴＯ諸国も含む共同軍事演習、「経済安保」対策など、野党の強い抵抗もなく進捗した。
トランプ大統領の再登場は、こうした動きを加速する。大統領就任を前後して首相、外相、防衛相がＱＵＡＤ外相会合、ＡＵＫＵＳとの連携、マレーシア、フィリピンなど、東アジアの「秩序維持」のため走り回った。
尹錫悦大統領弾劾で米韓日軍事連携が止まった韓国には、岩屋毅外相が飛んで行った。昨年末には「拡大抑止」発動への日米協議体が発足したが、内容は非公表だ。核をもてあそぶ大統領と責任を共有するのだろうか。
どれも国会で審議されるべき問題である。戦争への道をストップするのが野党の喫緊の課題だ。
「安全運転」の首相は危ないことは口にしない。ならば、野党が攻めるべきだ。 ところが、野党を代表する立憲民主党にはその気がうかがえない。野田佳彦代表の代表質問では、トランプの「北の核保有国」公認に危惧は表明した。ならば今こそ日本は、米国の「拡大抑止」からの離脱を求めてほしい。中国に対しても「尖閣諸島周辺」などへのブイ設置に毅然とした対応は求めたが、米中の緊張緩和への努力をこそ求めるべきだ。
腹を据えて論戦を
「財政健全化」なら防衛費削減も求めるべきではないか。続く立憲の議員の質問は、防衛費増額は理解するが無駄を精査し説明をつくせ、能動的サイバー防御は必要だが十分議論を、というものだ。
韓国に関しては、従来の「良好な日韓関係維持」を主張。尹弾劾をした野党と民衆は、戦争責任を糊塗し、対「北」緊張を煽る韓米日関係に危機感をいだいていたのに。
ガザからパレスチナ市民を放逐すると口走るトランプに抗して、野党は腹を据えて論戦を挑むべきではないのか。
英訳版↓
No. 1390 President Trump’s Uproar and Japan’s Ordinary Diet Session
How does the Japanese Diet respond to uproar of President Trump’s politics? It seems that both of the ruling and opposition parties try to evade outright discussions. Lawmakers do not seem to sincerely deliberate on the role of Japan. The New Socialist Party requests the Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP), the biggest opposition party, in particular, to encounter the ruling bloc resiliently.
NEEDED ARE STRAIGHTFORWARD AND ROBUST PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES
Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru made recently a Diet speech, in which he mentioned ‘a fun Japan’. It lacked a sense of tension and with no fresh point as far as diplomacy and national security are concerned. The premier, probably, did not want to incite the opposition camp as the ruling bloc of Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Komeito does not occupy the majority of seats in the parliament, while war preparation processes have been going easily as fait accompli without complications since approval of the controversial three documents on national security.
Key tasks for the opposition parties
Without persevering resistance from the opposition parties, the ruling bloc is successful in:
Reelection of President Trump will accelerate these courses. Focusing on the inauguration of new US President, Japanese Premier, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Defense had made busy trips abroad, participating in the QUAD foreign ministers’ meeting, seeking to join the AUKUS structure and attempting to maintain the regional order in the Eastern Asia together with Malaysia and the Philippines.
Foreign Minister Iwaya Tsuyoshi hastily visited Republic of Korea (ROK), in which the trilateral military alignment of US/Japan/ROK faces a danger of ineffectiveness due to the impeachment of President Yun Suk-yeol. At the end of last year, a cooperative body was founded between the US and Japan to launch extended deterrence, but its details remain unannounced. Will the Japanese government share responsibilities with a president who plays with nuclear weapons?
Each of these issues must be debated in the parliament. The most crucial mission of the opposition parties is to stop the path leading to a war.
Prime Minister Ishiba prefers safe driving, avoiding risky words. So, the opposition camp must stage offensives.
Nevertheless, the CDP, the major opposition, does not show a rigid stance. President Noda Yoshihiko expressed his concern during his questioning in the Diet about the US president’s remarks to admit DPRK as a nuclear power. If the lawmaker believes so, he should have insisted that Japan should leave the mechanism of extended deterrence with the US. As for the buoys set up by China around the Senkakus, Mr. Noda openly requested the Japanese government to react sternly. If so, he should have pushed it further to urge the US and China to go to détente.
Fervent deliberations are necessary
The opposition camp should work to reduce the defense budget, if they want fiscal soundness. A CDP’s next speaker, following Mr. Noda, stated that he supports the bigger defense spending, asking for full explanation of the government and elimination of waste of money. He backed a need of proactive cyber defense actions, requesting sufficient debates.
The CDP’s lawmaker asserted to maintain ‘usual, good bilateral relations with ROK’. People and the opposition parties in ROK, however, who impeached President Yun, have felt crisis-ridden, because the Japanese government has concealed responsibilities for the war and provoked tension in the region through the trilateral US-Japan-ROK alliance against ‘North’ Korea.
President Trump told to expel Palestinian citizens from Gaza. The opposition parties in Japan must boldly challenge the current political realities in their parliamentary debates.
February 12, 2025