Former U.S. defense official urges Japan to play greater military role

Japan Press Weekly

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Former U.S. defense official urges Japan to play greater military role

Former U.S. Deputy Undersecretary of Defense James Bodner called for Japan to play roles on 10 points in order to become an equal partner in its alliance with the U.S. at a private symposium entitled, "Security Treaty between the U.S. Obama Administration and Japan" held on May 13 in Tokyo.

By responding to some politicians of the Liberal Democratic Party and the Democratic Party of Japan calling for equal Japan-U.S. relations, Bodner became the first U.S. person from the defense community to raise such concrete proposals.

Pointing out that if Japan wants its alliance with the U.S. to become one on an equal footing, it should assume greater security responsibility in bilateral and multilateral framework, he called for Japan to fulfill the following tasks: exercise the right of collective self-defense; expand military expenditure; actively participate in planning, preparation, and operation in response to emergency situations; participate in military operations away from its land; participate in joint military exercises with the U.S. in front areas; build garrisons on foreign lands for forward deployment; and eliminate the Three Principles on Arms Export.

The former deputy undersecretary also said Japan should (1) enable the Maritime Self-Defense Force's P-3C anti-submarine patrol aircraft to engage in long-term overseas operations in addition to their deployment to Djibouti; (2) swiftly enact an anti-piracy bill; and (3) send many CH47 transport helicopters to Afghanistan from the Air SDF.

He expressed his hope that the Japanese government will include those three points in its basic defense program it will renew this year.

Former U.S. Secretary of Defense William Cohen stated that the Obama Administration has a higher expectation than any of its predecessors for Japan to exercise the right to participate in collective-defense activities as an equal partner of the U.S. and to be ready to be a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council as a result. Bodner added that the idea expressed by Cohen is broadly shared by many U.S. defense figures.

- Akahata May 14, 2009