Japanese government gives U.S. carte blanche and dares to go against
Constitution

Fudesaka Hideyo, Japanese Communist Party Policy Commission chair,
criticized the government for going against the Constitution by seeking to
exercise the right of collective self-defense in order to support the
U.S.-led retaliatory war.

Raising questions about Japan's anti-terrorism efforts in the House of
Councilors Budget Committee meeting on October 10, Fudesaka pointed out that
what the government is doing in support of the U.S.-led war is exercising
the right to collective defense, which Article 9 of the Constitution
prohibits.

Fudesaka said that the 8-point NATO plan in support of U.S. war operations
is similar to the 7-point plan Japan has offered to the United States, and
that NATO is implementing its plan as an exercise of the right of collective
self-defense.

Fudesaka pointed out that it's only common sense that the transport of
weapons, munitions, and other materials for the U.S. Forces is defined as
"logistics."

Any activities carried out under a new law will amount to exercising the
right of collective self-defense, he said.

The prime minister in answer said, "As for the right to collective
self-defense, Japan has a different view from the rest of the world. Japan
is having a hard time dealing with this problem," but stopped short of
denying what Fudesaka pointed out.

On statements of the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. and other senior U.S.
officials indicating the need for military attacks to be expanded beyond
Afghanistan, Fudesaka asked Koizumi if the Japanese government will take
cooperative steps to meet such actions.

Koizumi said that the government will decide what to do whenever the need
arises.

JCP Fudesaka said that Koizumi is the first political leader in the world
to express support for U.S. military attacks against countries other than
Afghanistan.

Asked if the Japanese government will systematically receive prior
explanations from the U.S. Forces on military operations, Koizumi just
repeated that Japan will take part in neither (planning) operations nor
military activities.

The JCP lawmaker said, "Prime Minister Koizumi's answer means that you
will offer no criticism to any escalation of military operations, while
knowing nothing about the operations beforehand. The total obedience to any
moves by the U.S., even if it openly argues for a preemptive use of nuclear
weapons." (end)