Without debate, Lower House approves dispatching SDF warships to the Indian
Ocean

In the House of Representatives on November 27, the Liberal Democratic,
Komei, and New Conservative parties plus the Democratic Party of Japan
approved the dispatch of Maritime Self-Defense Force ships to the Indian
Ocean to support the U.S.-led strike on Afghanistan.

Prior to the vote at the Lower House plenary session concerning the
government's first postwar step of sending SDF units abroad under the law to
send the Self-Defense Forces abroad to take part in the U.S. retaliatory war
(SDF dispatch law), no discussion took place. The Japanese Communist Party
and the Social Democratic Party voted against the bill.

The "basic plan" under the SDF dispatch law clarifies nothing in detail
on SDF activities, notwithstanding the graveness of the dispatch which
undermines the constitutional principles of peace, said Akahata of November
28.

Also, at a committee meeting, Defense Agency Director General Nakatani
Gen repeatedly stated that, "no details will be made available to the Diet
on activities of SDF ships (in the Indian Ocean) because negotiations are
underway between the SDF and the U.S. Forces."

This put in a sharp relief to the government position of feverishly
rushing to dispatch SDF units overseas, ignoring necessary steps to convince
the Diet and the people, Akahata said.

Of the DPJ members, 12 voted against, and 10 absented themselves or
abstained from voting.

* * *

Government to allow SDF to use more weapons as PKF units

JCP lawmaker Kodama Kenji criticized the government for its attempt to
adversely revise Japan's United Nations Peacekeeping Operations Cooperation
Law so that current regulations on the use of weapons by the SDF as part of
UNPKF units will be eased. Kodama was speaking at the Lower House Security
Committee meeting on November 27.

On the government plan to apply Article 95 of the SDF Law (approving the
use of weapons by SDF personnel to defend weapons and munitions) to SDF/PKF
units, Koizumi asked the government if the PKF unit, when hit with a bazooka
shell, will counter likewise. Nakatani said yes.

Kodama pointed out that the five principles on JSDF participation in PKOs
stipulate that SDF personnel are only allowed to use weapons in
self-defense. The government has had to give up applying SDF Law Article 95
to the current Japan's PKO Law because it was incompatible with the minimum
need, he said.

Aimed at dismantling the five principles and allowing the SDF to take
part in PKF units, the government is calling for easing regulations on the
use of weapons by SDF units abroad, Kodama stated. The adverse revision of
the PKO Law cannot be accepted, he said.

DA chief Nakatani just said that Article 95 of the SDF Law, if applied,
will not cause the use of force abroad, which the Constitution prohibits.
(end)