Japan could expand exercise of collective self-defense

Posted on : 2014-05-10 13:30 KST Modified on : 2014-05-10 13:30 KST
Recent newspaper report suggests Japan wouldn’t limit military involvement to situations involving the US

By Gil Yun-hyung, Tokyo correspondent

The Japanese government does not plan to limit the scope of its exercise of collective self-defense to situations involving the US, a recent report suggests.

If true, this would mean Japan’s Self-Defense Forces could regard South Korea as a potential focus of collective self-defense in the event of an emergency on the Korean Peninsula.

In a May 9 report, Japan’s Asahi Shimbun newspaper said the Japanese government had decided on a policy of expanding the scope of its collective self-defense - which would allow it to use military force even in situations where it was not directly under attack - to include not only the US but also regional allies such as South Korea and Australia.

The decision was made to “leave open the possibility for the government to make a free determination in the event of an international dispute,” the newspaper said.

To date, Tokyo has said its collective self-defense would only apply to “foreign countries with close ties” to Japan.

“They’re assuming something like defense and rear support for South Korean and Australian vessels fighting alongside the US in the event of an emergency on the Korean Peninsula,” explained a Japanese government official, on condition of anonymity.

Tokyo is also reportedly considering stronger cooperation with countries like the Philippines and Vietnam, which are currently facing off with China in the South China Sea.

But the move could further disrupt security situation on the Korean Peninsula. The argument is that while South Korea, the US, and Japan could respond more effectively to North Korean provocations if Japan is providing direct support to the South Korean military, a misjudgment by Japan could leave the situation even more complicated.

Meanwhile, moving ahead, opposition and progressive critics in Japan are expected to respond strongly to the greater possibility of involvement in overseas disputes that Japan has no stake in, which would go beyond the Shinzo Abe administrations’ rationale for collective self-defense as a way of “strengthening deterrence through a stronger alliance with the US.”

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