Pentagon Space Force command post plans, Tokyo’s rising defense spending fuel protests
Mizuho Fukushima, leader of the Social Democratic Party of Japan, gives a speech at a rally in Tokyo on Sept 19. She said the SDP opposes Japan’s military expansion. (JIANG XUEQING / CHINA DAILY)
Japan’s increased military expenditure and the continued strengthening of the Tokyo-Washington alliance has drawn strong criticism from Japanese civil groups and experts, with the concerns growing amid news reports that the US military is planning to establish in Japan a command post for its Space Force.
This new unit will enhance the US military presence in the domain of space and expand its cooperation with the Japanese Self-Defense Forces. It will also support the immediate sharing of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s missile launch information between Japan, the United States and the Republic of Korea, according to the Sankei Shimbun daily newspaper.
The US is making the utmost use of the current Japanese government’s policy of blindly aligning with and supporting the dangerous containment policy of the US against China, attempting to push Washington’s military strategy onto Japan in every way possible, said Takakage Fujita, secretary-general of the Association for Inheriting and Propagating the Murayama Statement, a Japanese civic group dedicated to upholding the 1995 Murayama Statement that admits Japan’s wartime mistakes.
The plan to establish a Space Force stationed in Japan is part of this effort. The Japanese government’s readiness to comply with everything the US dictates has become highly convenient for the US military, Fujita said.
“For Japan to blindly follow the US’ military strategy is a dangerous path, as it erases Japan’s post-war peace policy and drags Japan into trouble and military conflicts with China, provoked by the US. Such military compliance by the Japanese government will inevitably provoke China’s backlash, hindering Japan’s national interests or engaging in actions contrary to those interests in the long run,” he said.
The Japanese government has now artificially portrayed China, which has become Japan’s largest trading partner, as a hypothetical enemy. They are constructing missile bases targeting China on the islands of Okinawa, escalating tensions. However, such actions serve no purpose whatsoever and will inevitably lead to increased friction with China, causing dangerous trouble, Fujita said.
“Friendship with China is Japan’s greatest security. Instead of blindly advancing toward a stance aligned with the US and participating in an anti-China containment strategy, it is necessary, for the sake of Asia’s peace and development and Japan’s national interests, to regain the original and normal friendly relationship with China, which has now become Japan’s largest trading partner and is a neighboring country separated by a thin strip of water,” he said.
The US military is expanding its role in Japan, and not just limited to Space Force bases. This can be seen as a form of outsourcing and involves increased friction with the DPRK, said Satoshi Tomisaka, a professor at the Institute of World Studies at Takushoku University in Tokyo.
“This American movement aims to integrate Japanese security with American interests, potentially blurring the lines of Japan-US interests,” said Tomisaka. “This raises concerns about Japan’s cautious approach (to regional security) … potentially being compromised.”
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, discussions on this issue have become overly simplistic. Japan should have been cautious about accelerating confrontations between opposing factions, but things are moving forward before domestic discussions can catch up, he said.
“It’s essential to consider that Japanese and American interests don’t always align, particularly in the context of Japan-China relations,” Tomisaka said.
Tokyo’s tendency to engage in military expansion and strengthen its military alliance with the US is truly concerning. Instead of continuing on this path, Japan should aim to be a nation that upholds its pacifist constitution, said Nahoko Hishiyama, secretary-general of a grassroots group opposed to a proposal by former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe to revise the constitution.
“Japan should strive to be a neutral nation in its relations with neighboring countries. It must seek peaceful coexistence with other Asian nations and refrain from provoking its neighbors, especially under the pretext of the Taiwan issue,” Hishiyama said on Sept 19 during a Tokyo rally against Japan’s aggressive military buildup and constitutional reform.
Japan’s security legislation, enacted in September 2015, triggered the possibility of Japan becoming a nation at war. That danger continues to grow, said Hitomi Sugiura, an attorney at the Tokyo Advocacy Law Office who attended the rally.
“The current danger is being created by Japan aligning itself with the US … We need to gather wisdom on how to break this chain of events,” she said.
Strengthening the military alliance between Japan and the US can make neighboring countries lose trust in Japan, increasing friction between Japan and its neighbors and raising the likelihood of conflict. Under these circumstances, Japan should enhance dialogue with China at the governmental level and also among citizens, she said.
Many Japanese citizen groups and politicians participated in the Sept 19 rally in Tokyo against the Kishida government’s moves.
Mizuho Fukushima, leader of the Social Democratic Party of Japan, told China Daily that the SDP opposes Japan’s military expansion.
“If every country increases its military capabilities, society as a whole will lose its peace,” Fukushima said.
“Japan should engage with all nations in a peaceful manner, avoid conflict with China, and address issues in Sino-Japanese relations through diplomatic means,” she said.
Japan’s defense ministry said on Aug 31 that it is seeking a record 7.7 trillion yen ($52.1 billion) budget for the 2024 fiscal year, up 13 percent from the previous year.
Under a plan announced by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, the defense ministry budget for the five years through fiscal 2027 will total 43 trillion yen, a more than 50 percent increase from its previous spending plan that covered fiscal 2019 to 2023, Nikkei Asia reported.
The hike in Japan’s military expenditure and the government’s attempts to amend the constitution less peacefully raise the risk of war. The Japanese people have a sense of crisis about the situation, said Keiko Semaishi, a 68-year-old Tokyo resident.
“The strengthening of the Japan-US military alliance may lead neighboring countries to believe that Japan is on a path toward the militarism of the past, causing concerns. We hope that the government does not proceed in this manner,” Semaishi said.
Shoichi Mineo, deputy general-secretary of the Kanagawa High School Teachers and Staff Union, said the strengthening of the military alliance between the US and Japan is a dangerous course of action.
“The Japanese government should place greater emphasis on dialogue and communication with neighboring countries,” he said.
