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Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. (Yonhap News)

As he prepares to step down, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe issued a statement urging his successor’s administration to reach a conclusion by the end of the year on acknowledging Japan’s possession of “enemy base attack capabilities.” The capabilities in question refer to Japan’s ability to launch direct strikes against missile bases in North Korea and elsewhere. The conclusion reached by the next administration stands to have considerable repercussions for South Korea’s security.

Following a National Security Council (NSC) meeting on Sept. 11, Abe issued a statement regarding a new policy on “missile blocking.” In it, he announced plans to “respond to the security guarantee environment surrounding Japan” by holding more discussions with the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to state a policy approach by the end of 2020.

The expression “missile blocking” has been adopted by the LDP recently after a public outcry over “enemy base attack capabilities” being in violation of the principle that Japan should use military force only when under attack, and only within a minimal scope. In his statement, Abe raised the North Korea threat as a factor necessitating the new policy on missile blocking, explaining that the North “possesses hundreds of ballistic missiles within firing range of Japan.” In a gesture toward the public’s objections, he stressed that the examination of the new security guarantee measures was “taking place in compliance within the scope of the Constitution and in observance of international law,” adding that there had been “no change in my beliefs about exclusively defense-oriented policies.”

Abe is set to step down as prime minister on Sept. 16 after announcing his plans to resign late last month due to a recurrence of ulcerative colitis. He appears to have issued his latest statement to ensure that the new Cabinet produces a conclusion on the enemy base attack capability issue after he leaves office.

Discussions on acquiring enemy base attack capabilities have surfaced periodically in Japan since the 1950s, but only at the level of theoretical consideration to explore the potential for them to be in violation of the Constitution. Under the Abe administration, the calls for such capabilities have intensified as the North Korean missile threat has been underscored. They gained even further steam after the administration’s decision in June to abandon plans to introduce an Aegis Ashore land-based interception missile system for defense against North Korean missiles, citing technical issues.

On the morning of Aug. 4, the LDP suggested to the administration that Japan “needs new response measures to improve deterrence, including the ability to block ballistic missiles even within the other country’s territory.” At the time, Abe replied that he planned to “take up the suggestions, and present and swiftly implement a new direction.”

By Cho Ki-weon, staff reporter

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