|
Japan's new opposition leader seeks to revise pacifist constitution
Japan's new opposition leader on Sunday sought to revise the nation's pacifist constitution and lift restrictions on Japanese troops' use of weapons overseas. Seiji Maehara, fresh from his slim victory in the Democratic Party of Japan's leadership election on Saturday, said Japan should stipulate its right of self-defence in the US-imposed constitution. "We have to clarify the right to defend ourselves," Maehara said in a television interview. The 43-year-old, nicknamed the "security geek" by his colleagues for his knowledge of national security and North Korea, said Japan should also have the right to back up the United States if its ally was involved in an armed conflict in the region. The constitution, which says Japan forever renounces war, bans Japanese troops from providing support for the US military even if US bases in Japan were under attack. China and to a lesser extent South Korea have been alarmed by moves away from Japan's official pacifism. The new opposition leader also sought to lift restrictions on Japanese troops' use of arms in their peacekeeping activities in other countries, including Iraq. Japan has some 550 troops in the southern Iraqi city of Samawa on a non-combat, humanitarian mission in its first military deployment since 1945 to a country where there is active fighting. The troops, barred by the constitution of 1947 from firing their weapons except in self-defence, have relied on Australia and other countries for their security in Samawa. The largest opposition party held the leadership election after former head Katsuya Okada resigned to take responsibility for a major loss in the September 11 general election against Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's ruling coalition. Posted by: phil_b 2005-09-18 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=129896 |