Sudão do Sul: O Japão ofereceu munições

The Abe administration on Dec. 23 ordered a Ground Self-Defense Force unit deployed in U.N. peacekeeping operations in South Sudan to give 10,000 rounds of rifle ammunition to South Korean armed forces. The ammunition, which was provided for free through the U.N. Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS), was the first that Japan has ever offered to the United Nations or another country. The move was treated as an "exceptional case" under Japan's Law on Cooperation for United Nations Peacekeeping Operations and Other Operations as well as the "three principles on weapons exports," which effectively bans all arms exports. To justify the supply of the ammunition, the government stressed the "urgent necessity and the highly humanitarian nature of the situation." The government's stance represents a clear break with tradition. All previous administrations repeatedly told the Diet that they did not expect Japan to be asked to supply weapons or ammunition to the United Nations under the nation's peacekeeping operations law, and that Japan would not comply if any such request were made. But now that the government has actually complied with such a request, the Diet must deliberate on this matter. The credibility of our country's legal system would be seriously shaken if any administration were allowed to get away with arbitrarily re-interpreting the laws in disregard of previous administrations' statements in the Diet. Though the Diet is currently in recess, opposition parties are demanding that this matter be debated by pertinent committees of the Diet. The government must immediately explain itself thoroughly to the Diet and the public. A close and detailed examination is necessary to determine whether the government has acted appropriately. With respect to the three principles on weapons exports, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga emphasized in his released statement that the government had acted out of "urgent necessity." But this is hardly a sufficient explanation. The three principles do not "anticipate" any instance of Japan providing weapons and ammunition to the United Nations. We demand that the government explain its action to our satisfaction. In its national security strategy released earlier this month, the Abe administration spelled out its intention to review the three principles on arms exports. The administration must never be allowed to use this "exceptional case" of delivery of GSDF ammo through the UNMISS as the first step toward piecemeal erosion of the arms exports ban. At the end of the day, there are too many unclear points about this "exceptional case" to verify the appropriateness of the government's decision. For instance, we don't know the circumstances under which the United Nations asked Japan for the ammo giveaway. The South Korean side said it did not request Japan's help in desperation, but what, exactly, was the situation? And what sort of discussion did the newly created National Security Council have before it decided to provide the ammunition? The government needs to answer these questions in detail. Any discrepancy between Seoul's explanation and Tokyo's could aggravate the already strained bilateral relationship. And down the road, Tokyo ought to disclose how the ammo was used. The National Security Council, whose members include the prime minister and the defense minister, is a very small organization. If the government fails to tell the public how the council discussed the matter, it cannot expect to gain widespread understanding. The last thing our country needs is for the Abe administration to get the SDF more deeply involved in international conflicts by letting the National Security Council call the shots and establish new precedents in the absence of any legal framework, and in the name of "proactive pacifism." --The Asahi Shimbun, Dec. 25