The Defense Agency was upgraded to the Defense Ministry on Tuesday in accordance with a law revision supported by the Liberal Democratic Party, Komeito and the Democratic Party of Japan. The defense minister can now directly ask the Finance Ministry for funding for the Self-Defense Forces as well as call for a Cabinet meeting to consider defense-related legislation and SDF personnel affairs.
The upgrade has been a dream for many SDF members and politicians since the Defense Agency was established in 1954. But the same important duty remains for the prime minister -- the SDF's top commander -- the defense minister and defense personnel: to execute their jobs under the Constitution's Preamble and Article 9, in which Japan has resolved not to become a military power and not to pose a military threat to other nations.
To prevent possible apprehension and misunderstanding abroad, especially in neighboring countries, the government and the SDF should renew their determination to stick to their exclusively defensive security posture, under which Japan maintains only minimum defense capabilities and would hit back only after it has been attacked.