No. 1258 Upper House Election to Foresee Constitution Amendment
The military intervention to Ukraine by Russia here in Japan encourages those zealous forces to rewrite the constitution. The Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP) proposes advocation of the nuclear deterrence initiative in its election policy package in terms of national security, while the Communist Party expresses a position to deploy the Self Defense Forces (SDF) of Japan. The situation suggests us an eve of amendment of Constitution.
DON’T BE TRICKED BY MEDIA REPORTS ON UKRAINE
We are witnessing a rapidly changing social mood to allow the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to assert ‘2% spending of GDP on defense budget’ and ‘acquisition of capabilities to attack enemy’, including assailing of core facilities.
The CDP, as if it were drawn in the vortex, tries to get involved in the bilateral consultation agenda between the United States and Japan to strengthening deterrence capacity; it is a means to share in common intensified deterrence with the two nations, including nuclear arms.
Meanwhile, President Shii Kazuo of the Communist Party, too, on April 7, claimed to employ the SDF in its national rally held to get ready for the coming July election; he said, though several presumptions were suggested, that ‘in case of emergency when sovereignty should be violated, the party is determined to defend Japan’s authority, including the SDF’.
Media reports on Ukraine
The above-mentioned policy package and remarks reflect a psychological reaction that the Upper House election must be won and it cannot be won if voters see the party’s weakness. Movie Director Michael Moore told; what I ask you for is resistance. But is it not against Putin, but against the mass propaganda organized by politicians and mass media as well as military industries.
It is important to analyze media reports on Ukraine cautiously and attentively.
The Biden administration requested the Congress in the State of Union message of the 2023 fiscal to appropriate 813.3 billion dollars for the national defense budget, which is the history-biggest. Its security strategy explicitly describes that the US’s responses to China come first rather than to Russia. In its nuclear policy the administration approves a first strike by such weapons.
If the Japanese Constitution, which renounces a war, is revised, Article Nine in particular, and the government keeps being a pray of the US military industries, people will be exposed to disasters of a war, being a shield off that nation; it is obvious when you see what happens in Ukraine. We must not be deceived by bragging arguments of politicians in the safety zone fascinated with impulsive money and power.
Values of Article Nine
The mankind has experienced World War I and II, in which an enormous number of non-combatant civilians, people outside the battle fields, were killed: their numbers were much bigger than soldiers and officers in the frontline. Article Nine of the constitution was promulgated to renounce a war and to abandon capabilities to fight a war, learning lessons from the history.
Revising Article Nine means to call a new war. When the government compiles military expenditure by spending tax money and making debts, budgets necessary to life of people will decrease and a surveillance society will emerge. That is a historic warning.
Constitution must be defended and implemented in our lives – that is our responsibility to save the future generations from catastrophes of a war. The scheduled Upper House election is to be held at the decisive moment. Let’s fight to win in the election with maximum efforts.
自民党の「防衛費ＧＤＰ比２％」や、敵中枢も含めた「敵基地攻撃論」が急速にまかり通る世論が作られている。
その空気に飲まれるように、立憲民主党は参院選挙政策に核兵器を含む日米同盟抑止力強化を議論する日米拡大抑止力協議の活用に踏み込もうとしている。
日本共産党の志位和夫委員長も４月７日、参議院選挙勝利・全国総決起集会で前提があるとはいえ、「万が一、急迫不正の主権侵害が起こった場合は、自衛隊を含めて日本の主権を守り抜く」と自衛隊活用論を主張した。
ウクライナ報道
「軟弱と思われては選挙で勝てない」という心理に毒されている。米国の映画監督マイケル・ムーア氏が「私があなた方にお願いしたいことは抵抗だ。それはプーチンに対してではない。政治家とマスメディアと戦争産業集団が仕組んだ大衆プロパガンダに対してだ」と語ったように、ウクライナ報道に関しては、その内容を十分に吟味してかかるべきだ。
バイデン米政権は23会計年度教書で、過去最大規模となる国防費８１３３億ドルを議会に要求した。その国家防衛戦略ではロシアより中国への対応を優先すると明記。核戦略指針では核兵器の先制使用を容認している。
憲法９条を変え、このままアメリカの軍需産業の餌食にされ続ければ、その先に待っているのは米国の盾にされて、民衆が戦火にさらされるのはウクライナを見れば明らかだ。その場限りの権力とカネに酔いしれて、安全地帯で豪語する政治家に惑わされるわけにはいかない。
憲法９条の価値
第一次、第二次世界大戦の「総力戦」では、戦場での兵士以上の膨大な非戦闘員の犠牲者、戦場にいない民衆が戦火の犠牲になった経験を踏まえ、憲法９条は戦争の放棄と戦力の不保持を規定した。
９条を変えるということは新たな戦争を招くことになり、軍事予算に税金と借金を注ぎ込めば国民の暮らしに必要な予算は減る。そして監視社会が強まるのが歴史の教訓だ。
憲法を守り、暮らしに活かす私たちの責任は将来世代にこのような惨禍を繰り返させないことだ。その帰すうを決めるのが今夏の参議院議員選挙。悔いのない運動を広めよう。
英訳版↓
No. 1258 Upper House Election to Foresee Constitution Amendment
The military intervention to Ukraine by Russia here in Japan encourages those zealous forces to rewrite the constitution. The Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP) proposes advocation of the nuclear deterrence initiative in its election policy package in terms of national security, while the Communist Party expresses a position to deploy the Self Defense Forces (SDF) of Japan. The situation suggests us an eve of amendment of Constitution.
DON’T BE TRICKED BY MEDIA REPORTS ON UKRAINE
We are witnessing a rapidly changing social mood to allow the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to assert ‘2% spending of GDP on defense budget’ and ‘acquisition of capabilities to attack enemy’, including assailing of core facilities.
The CDP, as if it were drawn in the vortex, tries to get involved in the bilateral consultation agenda between the United States and Japan to strengthening deterrence capacity; it is a means to share in common intensified deterrence with the two nations, including nuclear arms.
Meanwhile, President Shii Kazuo of the Communist Party, too, on April 7, claimed to employ the SDF in its national rally held to get ready for the coming July election; he said, though several presumptions were suggested, that ‘in case of emergency when sovereignty should be violated, the party is determined to defend Japan’s authority, including the SDF’.
Media reports on Ukraine
The above-mentioned policy package and remarks reflect a psychological reaction that the Upper House election must be won and it cannot be won if voters see the party’s weakness. Movie Director Michael Moore told; what I ask you for is resistance. But is it not against Putin, but against the mass propaganda organized by politicians and mass media as well as military industries.
It is important to analyze media reports on Ukraine cautiously and attentively.
The Biden administration requested the Congress in the State of Union message of the 2023 fiscal to appropriate 813.3 billion dollars for the national defense budget, which is the history-biggest. Its security strategy explicitly describes that the US’s responses to China come first rather than to Russia. In its nuclear policy the administration approves a first strike by such weapons.
If the Japanese Constitution, which renounces a war, is revised, Article Nine in particular, and the government keeps being a pray of the US military industries, people will be exposed to disasters of a war, being a shield off that nation; it is obvious when you see what happens in Ukraine. We must not be deceived by bragging arguments of politicians in the safety zone fascinated with impulsive money and power.
Values of Article Nine
The mankind has experienced World War I and II, in which an enormous number of non-combatant civilians, people outside the battle fields, were killed: their numbers were much bigger than soldiers and officers in the frontline. Article Nine of the constitution was promulgated to renounce a war and to abandon capabilities to fight a war, learning lessons from the history.
Revising Article Nine means to call a new war. When the government compiles military expenditure by spending tax money and making debts, budgets necessary to life of people will decrease and a surveillance society will emerge. That is a historic warning.
Constitution must be defended and implemented in our lives – that is our responsibility to save the future generations from catastrophes of a war. The scheduled Upper House election is to be held at the decisive moment. Let’s fight to win in the election with maximum efforts.
May 18, 2022