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Japan Press Service Co., Ltd. is the only news agency providing information of progressive, democratic movements in Japan

U.S. QDR obliges Japan to take on deeper military commitments

At the eighth annual Japan-U.S. Security Strategy Conference held August 9-11 in Tokyo, U.S. participants urged Japan to take on a deeper military commitment such as the monitoring of activities in the Indian Ocean by the Maritime Self-Defense Force and the early conclusion of the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) with the U.S. to prevent leakage of military secrets.

The Conference - hosted by the dietmembers' National Security Study Group chaired by former Defense Agency director general Kawara Tsutomu and the U.S. Heritage Foundation among others and sponsored by Japanese and U.S. military-related industries - took up relations between the U.S. 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) and the Japan-U.S. military alliance.

Former U.S. Secretary of Defense William Cohen, former Defense Agency director generals, including the Liberal Democratic Party General Council chairman Kyuma Fumio, and former Democratic Party of Japan president Maehara Seiji took part in the conference.

Taking into account the QDR that urges U.S. allies to make greater contributions, Cohen stated that it is necessary to revise the Guidelines for Japan-U.S. Defense Cooperation. He highly appreciated the Japan-U.S. joint project to develop the missile defense system which will start this year, and emphasized the significance of the protection of military secrets including the early conclusion of the GSOMIA in order to smoothly carry out the project.

Former Department of Defense director for Japan James Auer pointed out that the reason Japan is not included in the "closest allies" category such as Britain and Australia is that Japan has yet to become an "ordinary nation." "As a U.S. ally, Japan must remove constitutional restrictions on the military," he emphasized.

LDP Kyuma proposed that Japan must seek state-of-the-art military technology and strengthen the setup to control classified information, including the early conclusion of the GSOMIA.

Expressing agreement with Kyuma, Matsumoto Takeaki, DPJ policy commission chair, stated that 80 to 90 percent of lawmakers in both houses are sharing the view that Japan-U.S. relations are pivotal to Japanese foreign policy. DPJ Maehara stressed the need to increase Japan's intelligence capabilities, calling for the establishment of an institution like the CIA or MI6.

Nishioka Takashi, Japan Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren) vice chair, demanded that the start of the joint missile-defense project be followed by steps to protect classified information and the easing of Japan's Three Principles banning weapons exports.
- Akahata, August 17, 2006