Diet has finally begun debating the enabling bills for the Japan-U.S. defense cooperation guidelines, almost a year after the government sent them to the legislature last April. How the debate will develop in the weeks ahead has an important bearing on the security environment of Asia, including the Korean Peninsula.
The government wants to get the bills through the Lower House before Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi visits the United States from late April to early May.
The package consists of bills that would (1) provide logistic support to U.S. forces during contingencies in areas surrounding Japan, (2) amend the Self-Defense Forces Law to evacuate Japanese nationals overseas aboard SDF ships, and (3) update the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA) to meet such contingencies.
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