Tag - sdf

 
 

SDF

EDITORIALS
Mar 25, 2015
Broadening SDF missions abroad
An outline of a package of security legislation planned by the Abe administration fails to set clear restrictions on the scope of the Self-Defense Forces' overseas missions.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 20, 2015
Coalition takes major step toward loosening SDF rules
The ruling coalition reaches a formal deal on security legislation, bringing the Abe administration one step closer to expanding the role Japan's military can constitutionally play overseas.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 18, 2015
Komeito agrees to permanent law on dispatch of SDF
The Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner have agreed in principle on a framework for security legislation to expand the scope of the Self-Defense Forces' activities.
JAPAN
Mar 11, 2015
Abe government proposes allowing SDF to gather intelligence for foreign militaries
The central government is considering allowing the Self-Defense Forces to gather intelligence for foreign militaries as part of expanded logistical support as Japan seeks to boost its military missions abroad, a government source said.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 8, 2015
Record 30% of Japanese want SDF beefed up: Cabinet survey
A record 29.9 percent of Japanese say they want the Self-Defense Forces' capabilities boosted, a government survey said.
EDITORIALS
Mar 8, 2015
Learning from a sunken battleship
The discovery of the sunken battleship Musashi — the Imperial Japanese Navy's biggest warship — by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen last week should serve as an opportunity for anybody to contemplate the real face of war.
JAPAN
Mar 6, 2015
Abe presses forward on collective defense
The Abe administration proposed Friday amending the Self-Defense Forces Law to make it legal to exercise the right to collective self-defense, moving a step closer to the possibility that Japan will use military force even if it is not under direct attack.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 6, 2015
Japan's military normalization
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe wants Japan to become a 'normal' country again, with the capacity to defend its interests and citizens wherever they are threatened. But how should his government go about it?
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 4, 2015
Abe government mulls dispatching SDF troops on EU missions
The proposed reform would allow Self-Defense Forces personnel to take part in international missions involving European Union troops, under an envisioned permanent law on overseas dispatches.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 3, 2015
Administration pushes allowing overseas SDF rescue missions under five scenarios
The Abe administration proposed allowing the Self-Defense Forces to rescue Japanese nationals caught up in emergencies abroad under five scenarios, as part of efforts to develop security legislation to expand the range of potential SDF missions overseas.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 27, 2015
Abe aims to formally authorize SDF ship inspections beyond Japanese waters
The Abe administration proposed Friday expanding the geographic range of ship inspections that can be conducted by the Self-Defense Forces beyond Japan.
EDITORIALS
Feb 27, 2015
Chipping away at civilian control
The Abe administration plans to abolish a legal mechanism ensuring that high-ranking civilian officials of the Defense Ministry maintain authority over uniformed officers of the Self-Defense Forces.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 26, 2015
Ruling bloc may seek Diet nod for any overseas SDF dispatch as precondition to permanent law
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the government will consider requiring advance Diet approval for the dispatch of Self-Defense Forces overseas as a condition for seeking a permanent law on their missions, NHK reported Thursday.
EDITORIALS
Feb 25, 2015
Risky expansion of SDF missions
New Abe administration policies in the works appear to expand the scope of of SDF activities abroad to almost anything short of direct use of force.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Feb 23, 2015
Japan looks to boost defense attaches after hostage crisis reveals major weakness
The Abe administration wants to strengthen Japan's intelligence-gathering capabilities in the Middle East after the recent hostage disaster revealed its shortcomings in gaining information through military channels.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 18, 2015
Abe government aims to OK supply of weapons to foreign militaries for logistical support
The ongoing overhaul of defense and security policies may include providing weapons and ammunition to foreign militaries, and permitting refueling and maintenance of foreign aircraft bound for combat.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Feb 16, 2015
Japanese deaths stir debate on hostage rescue capabilities
Following the gruesome executions of two Japanese by the Islamic State group, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe seems more eager than ever for legal authority to deploy Self-Defense Forces elements overseas, saying it is the government's duty to rescue its citizens.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 13, 2015
Ruling bloc parties explore positions on defense
The Liberal Democratic Party-Komeito ruling coalition kicked off formal discussions Friday on security legislation that would expand the range of missions the Self-Defense Forces could be deployed on.
JAPAN
Feb 13, 2015
SDF dispatches by phone likely on path to approval
The Liberal Democratic Party-Komeito ruling bloc is expected to agree that the Cabinet should be allowed to approve Self-Defense Forces deployments by phone to speed up responses to "gray zone" national security incidents, a senior source in the administration said.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 12, 2015
Japan, U.S. may revise defense cooperation guidelines before Diet debates security bills: sources
The revision could occur before legislation to loosen constraints on the SDF is debated in the Diet, sources say, which would likely prompt intense criticism from opposition lawmakers.

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