Nippon Ishin Fully Backs Use of Right to Collective Self-Defense

Tokyo, Sept. 19 (Jiji Press)–Japanese opposition Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Innovation Party) has indicated its full support for the country exercising its right to collective self-defense. The stance was shown in the party’s proposal on national defense and constitutional amendment compiled on Thursday. In the proposal, Nippon Ishin also called for deleting the second paragraph of the Constitution’s war-renouncing Article 9 that bans the country from maintaining armed forces. It sought to explicitly state in the Constitution the establishment of a national defense force and a military court, advocating a shift from Japan’s exclusively defense-oriented policy to proactive defense. Nippon Ishin co-leader Fumitake Fujita explained at a press conference that the proposal was put together with the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s Oct. 4 leadership election in mind. With the possibility of Nippon Ishin joining the LDP-Komeito coalition government being discussed, the newly compiled proposal may serve as a basis for related decision-making. Pointing to the growing threats posed by China, North Korea and Russia, the proposal noted that Japan’s fundamental defense policy should be flexibly adjusted in response to changes in the security environment based on a realist perspective. Furthermore, Nippon Ishin proposed revising the Japan-U.S. security treaty to stipulate mutual defense obligations. As the scope of such defense obligations, the party’s proposal cited Japanese territory and the Western Pacific region west of Hawaii within U.S. territory. With China’s military expansion in mind, Nippon Ishin also proposed a military alliance among Japan, the United States, Australia and the Philippines. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]