Municipalities and private sector are supposed to take part in Japan-U.S. military cooperation

A written government reply to a Japanese Communist Party question has revealed that Japan's municipalities and the private sector are supposed to take part in Japan-U.S. military cooperation under the Japan-U.S. guidelines.

The Guidelines for Japan-U.S Defense Cooperation that the two governments agreed on in September 1997 calls for Japan's study of how to cooperate in joint operations against an armed attack on Japan and in U.S. military interventions in the Asia-Pacific region in the name of responding to "situations in areas surrounding Japan."

The government reply states that cooperation by local municipalities and the private sector should be appropriately reflected in these war plans. The government, however, refused to make public in the Diet the details of the reply.

Akahata of March 17 warned of the danger that the plan to mobilize municipalities and the private sector for U.S. wars is steadily taking shape without the public knowing about it. (end)