JCP will strive for scrapping of unconstitutional defense ministry bill in Upper House: Shii

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JCP will strive for scrapping of unconstitutional defense ministry bill in Upper House: Shii

Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo, at a press conference held in the Diet Building on November 30, criticized the bill to upgrade the Defense Agency to a ministry, which was passed earlier in the day in the House of Representatives by majority vote of the Liberal Democratic, Democratic, Komei, and People's New parties. "This bill goes against the Constitution by remaking the SDF into 'forces to be dispatched abroad'," Shii said.

Shii said, "The JCP will make its utmost effort to kill the bill in the House of Councilors."

He said, "The main purpose of this bill is to include overseas activities as the SDF's primary duty by revising the SDF Law. The upgrading of the Defense Agency to a defense ministry is also aimed at meeting this new duty."

He went on to say, "Successive governments have explained that the SDF has the 'minimum capability necessary for self-defense.' The current SDF law also specifies that the SDF's fundamental task is the defense of Japan. Inclusion of a duty to be dispatched overseas into the fundamental task will overturn the government's conventional interpretation of the Constitution regarding the SDF."

Referring to the fact that the House of Representatives Security Committee spent only 17 hours on the discussion of the bill, Shii said, "It is impermissible to have forcibly put the bill to a vote with such a short time for discussion despite its importance."

Asked about the DPJ and the PNP vote in favor of the bill, Shii said, "On the one hand, the DPJ argues that it opposes the dispatch of the SDF to Iraq, but on the other it voted for the bill that allows unconditional overseas activities of the SDF. This self-contradiction shows that the DPJ after all is in the same boat with the LDP in pushing for SDF overseas dispatches."

Shii also criticized the DPJ for having agreed to the vote schedule by saying, "In discussing the bill in the House of Representatives committee, opposition parties had agreed to demand a thorough discussion on the bill. In light of this, the DPJ took an inexcusable about-turn."
- Akahata, December 1, 2006