World must not come under U.S. military control -- Akahata editorial, December 22

U.S. President George W. Bush on December 17 (EST) ordered an early deployment of a missile defense system. The U.S. government says the deployment of interceptor missiles is part of the plan to start deploying a missile defense system, with land-based interceptor rockets and interceptor missiles to be operational by 2004.

Japanese Defense Agency Director General Ishiba Shigeru on the same day met with U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and expressed his intention to engage in the study of missile defense with the United States with the view of developing and deploying the missile defense system in Japan.

U.N. Charter ignored

The missile defense system is supposed to detect, intercept, and destroy enemy ballistic missiles before they reach the impact area, at the boost, mid-course, and terminal stages after they re-enter the atmosphere.

The United States, which maintains overpowering military power, intends to use the missile defense system to disable any foreign missiles and establish space-based military supremacy in the world. It is tantamount to demanding the rest of the world accept its military forces, including space-based nuclear missiles.

What's more, it is impossible to know the target area of a missile when it is still at the boost stage, although a missile at this stage can be more easily intercepted and destroyed. Yet the United States says any missile from any country can be destroyed immediately after it is launched.

It is nothing but a preemptive strike, not defense.

Such a U.S. plan will inevitably intensify the nuclear arms race as other countries will try to counter the U.S. system.

If the U.S. preemptive strike strategy has its way, the world peace based on the U.N. Charter, which was established by the peoples of the world after learning from the cruel experiences of the two world wars in the 20th century, would be abandoned and the world changed into a lawless place ruled by military strength.

It is natural for many countries, including U.S. allies in Europe, to severely criticize the U.S. missile defense plan.

Prime Minister Koizumi Jun'ichiro has stated that he understands the Bush administration's reckless program.

After all, Japan's defense chief promised the U.S. defense secretary that Japan will study the missile defense system with the view to develop and deploy it in Japan even though the Japanese government had not officially decided to do so.

Through joint study with the United States, Japan is already incorporated into the U.S. missile defense program.

In 1998, when Japan decided to take part in the joint study, the government claimed that it is a study of theater missile defense, but no such distinction exists any longer.

The joint Japan-U.S. study is now inseparable from the U.S. missile defense program aimed at intercepting and destroying enemy missiles, including those at a stage where it is hardly possible to tell whether they are targeted on Japan. Ishiba stated that no possibility is excluded from the study, including that of the stage of "boost."

Japan's participation in the U.S. missile defense project means Japan is becoming a subcontractor for the U.S. preemptive nuclear strike strategy.

Stop Japan-U.S. joint study

Japan has a war-renouncing constitution. So Japan's attitude toward the U.S. missile defense system will have an important bearing on the future world.

Reckless U.S. unilateralism is the greatest threat to world peace, but it is being isolated.

How can the Japanese government be allowed to play the role of a U.S. subordinate helping to destroy the international peace based on the United Nations Charter?

The need now is for the Japanese government to request the U.S. government to cancel the missile defense plan, and withdraw from the joint Japan-U.S. study. It is out of the question for Japan to allow the development and deployment of such a missile system in Japan. (end)