Tuesday, July 01, 2014

Japan ends its Pacifism

It is strange that many politicians are applauding the Japanese prime minister’s decision to amend the country’s constitution to end its pacifism.

One man protested at the government’s moves to change Japan’s defence policy by settting himself alight as hundreds of people watched. On Monday, thousands of people joined a protest in Tokyo to oppose the change.

Article 9 of its post-war constitution, forbids the use of force to resolve conflicts except in the case of self-defence. “The Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes... land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained”

 Japan currently even limits its participation in UN peacekeeping activities to non-combat roles.

Shinzo Abe’s policy is to rebuild the military against China where tensio has been highlighted over the contested sovereignty over the disputed Senkaku or Diaoyu islands.

For 10 years, Japan's defence budget has been gradually declining but now that too is now being reversed. 

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