No. 1285 Revisions in Security Documents Lead to Military Expansion
The government’s panel, the ‘council of experts’, has proposed acquiring capabilities to attack enemy military bases. The Cabinet is to make a decision by the end of December in their office on full revision of the three documents on national security, which includes removal of the principle of exclusively defensive stance. We face a critical situation in which we must stage again massive protest campaigns which we staged in 2015 when the laws to justify wars were enacted.
PEACE MOVEMENTS FACE MOST CRITICAL PHASE
The proposal from the ‘council of experts who make comprehensive analysis in defense capabilities as the state’s strength’ defines consolidation of defense ability as a task of whole people of Japan. It says that ‘our country should be defended by ourselves with firm consciousness’, requesting people to raise their conscious mind and to owe the increased costs of the defense budget.
The core of the advice lies in possession of capabilities to hit enemy’s bases and arrangement of comprehensive national security preparedness across the nation. The council also recommends integrating the three units of the Self Defense Forces (SDF) to establish the joint headquarters.
The Kishida government is intended to compile three new documents on national security, relying on the council’s guidance, by late December to authorize in the Cabinet. Wide-ranging revisions will be made in the three documents; they are the National Security Strategy, the National Defense Program Guidelines and the Mid-Term National Defense Program.
Financial sources are taxes to be increased
The overhauling is a kind response of the Japanese government to the request from the US military which seeks for ‘integrated deterrence’ on the premise that China is a challenger= a potential adversary.
The US’s integrated deterrence is to build up walls with offensive missile networks to be operated by the US-Japan forces in the region from Amami-Oshima Island of Kagoshima Prefecture to Miyakojima Island and Ishigakijima Island of Okinawa Prefecture, extending through Taiwan to the South China Sea. This is their ‘first archipelago line’ to counter China.
This strategy simulates Taiwan emergency to incorporate the SDF in the US operations. For this purpose, the government is planned to spend 2% of the GDP, amounting \11 trillion, in five years on its defense budget in the same way as NATO members. The total sum is estimated as \43.1 trillion for five years, starting from the fiscal 2023. Its sources come from taxes to be increased, or a heavier burden of people.
Presuming already a possible war with China, for 19 days beginning on November 10, the US-Japan joint military maneuver, Keen Sward 23, was held around the island area of south-west region of Japan with participation of 26,000 troops of the SDF and 10 thousand of the US units. Troops of Australia, United Kingdom and Canada joined the exercise.
Capabilities to attack enemy bases
The core of the capabilities to rush at enemy bases lies in possession of stand-off missiles. The government has a program to lengthen the range of the domestic-made 12-type surface-to-sea guided missiles to 1,000 km and manufacture 1,500 units of them for possession in ten years to come. At the moment it seeks to procure US-made Tomahawk cruise missiles with the range of 1,650 km which can make pin-point attacks.
The aim is to assault bases and commanding facilities of Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and China, if the Japanese authority recognizes that they should begin preparing to aggress the island nation. This means violation of the United Nations Charter which prohibits a pre-emptive strike, and it is renunciation of the rule of exclusively defensive stance which the Japanese administrations have maintained up to today.
The Kishida government is to authorize the dangerous shift in the security policy among the Cabinet members. The extensive military build-up jeopardizes peace. Peace movements here face a critical phase. We must organize again mass campaigns which we staged in 2015 when the government coercively legislated laws to wage external wars.
「国力としての防衛力を総合的に考える有識者会議」の提言は、防衛力の強化を国民全体の課題とし、「自らの国は自ら守る防衛意識」の醸成と、防衛費の増額を国民全体の負担として求めている。
提言の核心は「敵基地攻撃能力」の保有であり、国全体での総合的な防衛体制の構築だ。３自衛隊の「統合司令部」設立も提言している。
政府は提言をベースに新たな「安保３文書」を年末までに策定、閣議決定する方針だ。安保３文書は、「国家安全保障戦略」、「防衛計画の大綱」、「中期防衛力整備計画」だ。
軍拡の財源は増税
全面改定は、米国が中国を「挑戦者＝仮想敵」とし、米軍が日本に求める「統合抑止力」の整備に応えたものとなる。
米軍の「統合抑止力」とは、対中国戦略を「第一列島線」とし、鹿児島県の奄美大島から沖縄県の宮古島、石垣島、さらに台湾、南シナ海にいたる地域を日米一体のミサイル攻撃網で築く壁をいう。
これは「台湾有事」を想定し、米軍の作戦と一体化した自衛隊の存在だ。そのため、日本は防衛費を５年間でＮＡＴＯ並みのＧＤＰ比２％（11兆円） に増額、 23年度からの５年間で総額43兆１千億円を予定する。その財源は増税であり、国民の血税だ。
すでに、対中国戦を想定し南西諸島を中心に11月10日から19日の間、日米共同統合演習（ 実動演習）「キーン・ソード23」が行われ、自衛隊２万６千人、米軍１万人、それに豪英加軍が参加した。
敵基地攻撃の能力
「敵基地攻撃能力」の肝はスタンドオフ・ミサイルの保有であり、国産の「12式地対艦誘導ミサイル」を射程１０００㌔に延伸、10年後に１５００基の保有をめざす。当面、米国製でピンポイント攻撃できる射程１６５０㌔の「トマホーク巡行ミサイル」の購入を打診している。
これは、朝鮮や中国が日本攻撃の準備に着手したと判断したら相手の基地および司令部などを攻撃するためのもので、国連憲章違反の先制攻撃につながり、専守防衛の放棄だ。
安全保障政策の大転換を閣議決定で行おうとしているこの大軍拡は、平和の危機であり、平和運動の正念場だ。戦争法制強行で示した国民的な反対運動が、今こそ求められる。
英訳版↓
No. 1285 Revisions in Security Documents Lead to Military Expansion
The government’s panel, the ‘council of experts’, has proposed acquiring capabilities to attack enemy military bases. The Cabinet is to make a decision by the end of December in their office on full revision of the three documents on national security, which includes removal of the principle of exclusively defensive stance. We face a critical situation in which we must stage again massive protest campaigns which we staged in 2015 when the laws to justify wars were enacted.
PEACE MOVEMENTS FACE MOST CRITICAL PHASE
The proposal from the ‘council of experts who make comprehensive analysis in defense capabilities as the state’s strength’ defines consolidation of defense ability as a task of whole people of Japan. It says that ‘our country should be defended by ourselves with firm consciousness’, requesting people to raise their conscious mind and to owe the increased costs of the defense budget.
The core of the advice lies in possession of capabilities to hit enemy’s bases and arrangement of comprehensive national security preparedness across the nation. The council also recommends integrating the three units of the Self Defense Forces (SDF) to establish the joint headquarters.
The Kishida government is intended to compile three new documents on national security, relying on the council’s guidance, by late December to authorize in the Cabinet. Wide-ranging revisions will be made in the three documents; they are the National Security Strategy, the National Defense Program Guidelines and the Mid-Term National Defense Program.
Financial sources are taxes to be increased
The overhauling is a kind response of the Japanese government to the request from the US military which seeks for ‘integrated deterrence’ on the premise that China is a challenger= a potential adversary.
The US’s integrated deterrence is to build up walls with offensive missile networks to be operated by the US-Japan forces in the region from Amami-Oshima Island of Kagoshima Prefecture to Miyakojima Island and Ishigakijima Island of Okinawa Prefecture, extending through Taiwan to the South China Sea. This is their ‘first archipelago line’ to counter China.
This strategy simulates Taiwan emergency to incorporate the SDF in the US operations. For this purpose, the government is planned to spend 2% of the GDP, amounting \11 trillion, in five years on its defense budget in the same way as NATO members. The total sum is estimated as \43.1 trillion for five years, starting from the fiscal 2023. Its sources come from taxes to be increased, or a heavier burden of people.
Presuming already a possible war with China, for 19 days beginning on November 10, the US-Japan joint military maneuver, Keen Sward 23, was held around the island area of south-west region of Japan with participation of 26,000 troops of the SDF and 10 thousand of the US units. Troops of Australia, United Kingdom and Canada joined the exercise.
Capabilities to attack enemy bases
The core of the capabilities to rush at enemy bases lies in possession of stand-off missiles. The government has a program to lengthen the range of the domestic-made 12-type surface-to-sea guided missiles to 1,000 km and manufacture 1,500 units of them for possession in ten years to come. At the moment it seeks to procure US-made Tomahawk cruise missiles with the range of 1,650 km which can make pin-point attacks.
The aim is to assault bases and commanding facilities of Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and China, if the Japanese authority recognizes that they should begin preparing to aggress the island nation. This means violation of the United Nations Charter which prohibits a pre-emptive strike, and it is renunciation of the rule of exclusively defensive stance which the Japanese administrations have maintained up to today.
The Kishida government is to authorize the dangerous shift in the security policy among the Cabinet members. The extensive military build-up jeopardizes peace. Peace movements here face a critical phase. We must organize again mass campaigns which we staged in 2015 when the government coercively legislated laws to wage external wars.
December 7, 2022