Foreign Correspondence

[Amaunet]

Japan seeks more hawkish military

The development of a long-range weapon with pre-emptive strike capabilities signifies a fundamental policy shift in response to perceived nuclear threats from North Korea, China and terrorism.

More and more China is being listed in print as the enemy as we are conditioned to accept the dragon as our biggest adversary.

-Am

Japan seeks more hawkish military
By Robin Gedye, Foreign Affairs Writer
(Filed: 04/12/2004)

Japan plans to develop a long-range missile in a sweeping overhaul of its post-war military policy that dramatically changes its security strategy from pure defence to one with global reach.

A new mid-term defence plan for next year includes research into a surface-to-air missile with a range of several hundred miles, according to Japanese newspapers.

The development of a long-range weapon with pre-emptive strike capabilities signifies a fundamental policy shift in response to perceived nuclear threats from North Korea, China and terrorism.

North Korea's aggressive military posturing, which included the test-firing of a long-range ballistic missile over Japan in 1998, fuelled calls in Tokyo for a review of its defence strategy. The new 2005-2009 defence plan is scheduled for submission to the Cabinet early next week.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/12/04/wjap04.xml&sSheet=/portal/2004/1....



Japan overhauling its defence
December 3, 2004 7:30 AM

By Masayuki Kitano

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan is putting the final touches to a sweeping overhaul of its defence policy that will give its
armed forces a greater role globally and could upset Asian neighbours such as China and North Korea.

The review of the National Defence Programme Outline -- the first since 1995 -- and a related five-year defence
programme are expected to be approved by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's cabinet next week, unless
squabbling over details causes a delay.

Defence Minister Yoshinori Ohno told a news conference on Friday he was hoping for approval by the cabinet at
its next meeting on December 7.

The overhaul, which will include steps to improve defence against new threats such as terrorist and missile
attacks, is likely to imply a shift away from Japan's purely defensive security policy.

Japan's post-war pacifist constitution renounces war and bans the maintenance of a standing army but has been
interpreted as allowing a military for defence only. Such restrictions have been stretched in recent years, most
recently with Japan's dispatch of troops to Iraq on a reconstruction and humanitarian mission.

The need to counter invasions of remote islands is to be highlighted in the strategy review, reflecting concerns
about North Korea and an increase in activities by Chinese naval vessels in seas around Japan, the Yomiuri
newspaper reported.

The 2005-2009 defence plan includes starting research on a long-range, ground-to-ground missile, the paper
said.

Such a precision-guided missile would be developed to counter possible invasions of remote islands several
hundred kilometres away from mainland Japan, the Yomiuri said.

There are concerns that any deployment would mark a shift away from Japan's purely defensive strategy, it said.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda said further discussions were needed on the matter.

"I think it is an issue for consideration, but more discussion is needed on whether it is required imminently,"
Hosoda told reporters when asked about such strike capabilities.

FINANCIAL BICKERING

In October, an advisory panel to the prime minister said Japan should consider whether to acquire the capability to
carry out pre-emptive strikes, a sign of a possible departure from a purely defensive strategy.

The panel's suggestion reflected strong concerns over a ballistic missile threat from North Korea, which shocked
Japan when it test-fired a ballistic missile that passed over Japan in 1998.

Japan-China relations have been chilled by a number of disputes including a spat over the intrusion of a Chinese
nuclear-powered submarine into Japanese waters last month.

Japan and China are also at odds over a group of islands, which both claim as their own, known as the Senkakus
in Japan and the Diaoyus in China.

Bickering between Japan's defence and finance ministries has delayed the unveiling of the new policy, media
reports said.

Business daily Nihon Keizai said the ministries had finally agreed to cut the number of tanks to around 600 from
900.


Reuters


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