Expanded Use of Arms by Japan`s Self-Defense Force

The Japanese parliament yesterday has passed a revised UN PKO cooperation bill allowing its troops to play an expanded role in international peace missions of the UN Peace Keeping Forces (PKF), such as guarding cease-fire and removing mines, and to expand the use of arms.

The new PKO cooperation law allows the Self-Defense Force to participate in the major missions of the PKF, which include the supervision of cease-fire as well as disarmament, the stationing in the neutral zone as well as patrol, the monitoring the flow of arms, and the removal of mines.

According to the new law, the Self-Defense troops will be able to take up arms not only in self-defense as well as the defense for the Self-Defense personnel but also to protect `people and arms under supervision`. Therefore, the Self-Defense troops will be able to use arms to protect PKO personnel from other countries, international organization personnel, and the NGO officials. The range of activities of the Self-Defense Force was already expanded through the legislation of the `special law on countermeasure against terrorism`. With the passage of the new PKO law, the Self-Defense Force will be able to participate in the PKO`s missions almost without limits, thus, becoming more like a military troops.

When Japan legislated the PKO cooperation law in 1992 right after outbreak of Gulf War, it limited the range of activities of the Self-Defense Force to the home front aid missions, such as construction, transportation, and refugee aid, following the point that the law may violate the peace constitutional law which forbids the use of arms.

Meanwhile, the Liberal Democratic Party decided to improve the `emergency law` during the regular Diet session next year as a provision against the direct military attack against Japan. The `emergency law` is a kind of wartime mobilization law which states the rights and duty of the Self-Defense Force, U.S. military troops, and the public.

The Japanese government decided to include the terrorist attacks through nuclear weapon and bio-chemical arms into the category of `military attack`, when it is to take countermeasures against it, learning from the 9.11 terrorist attacks in the U.S.

If the improvement of the `emergency law` is completed, only two issues, that is, the insurance of the collective self-defense rights and the revision of the constitution, will be remained with regard to the Self-Defense Force.

Shim Kyu-Sun ksshim@donga.com