How should Japan deal with a military attack from abroad? This question has acquired greater urgency amid heightened regional security concerns. However, military contingency legislation now before the Diet should be debated from a long-term perspective. At stake is the fundamental question of how to secure the peace and security of this nation in the changed and still changing international environment of the 21st century.
The package itself is not new; it was introduced last April during the regular Diet session. The government and the ruling parties are seeking action during the current session (scheduled to end in June) on grounds that it has already been discussed sufficiently. However, passage is not assured as yet, reflecting the deep differences that exist between the ruling and opposition parties.
The biggest issue concerns Article 9 of the Constitution, which explicitly prohibits the use or threat of force as means of settling international disputes. The three bills in question, including one that would update the Self-Defense Forces Law, are designed to facilitate the activities of the SDF during contingencies. The pivotal question is whether this contingency package would exceed constitutional constraints on the use of force.