Liberal Japan

I quote from a recent Yomiuri editorial and make comments.

All quoted material is excerpted from DPJ must offer viable refueling bill alternative:

DPJ leader Ichiro Ozawa revealed in his party’s gazette that he would like Japan to participate in the International Security Assistance Force deployed in Afghanistan.

Ozawa has a principled position. The ISAF is a UN sponsored program to rebuild Afghanistan. According to current (though misconstrued) legal argument, why shouldn’t Japan be allowed to participate?

If the DPJ plans to propose joining the ISAF as an alternative to the MSDF’s refueling mission, the main opposition party should make clear in which area of the ISAF mission–security assistance, provincial reconstruction, transportation or other operations–Japan can participate.

This is true, they should clarify their position.

In Afghanistan, a plague of suicide bombings and terrorist attacks have killed and wounded many ISAF members. Participating in the ISAF is not a realistic option for Japan at the moment.

How incredibly cowardly. To support a cause, to accept that others will die for this cause, but to not risk one’s own skin is moral cowardice.

People are dying for this cause. As long as Japan is supportive of this cause it is complicit in each and everyone of their deaths. As long as Japanese are willing to do likewise, fine. If not however, we have a problem.

The editors suggest Japan should commit, but only with fuel (=wealth=money.) The editors suggest Japan should happily pay others to risk their lives, but that Japanese should not risk their own.

With compilation of an alternative to the LDP bill in mind, the DPJ planned to send a study mission to Afghanistan. However, this plan has been postponed, apparently because the DPJ wants to focus for the time being on pressing the government to disclose details of the MSDF’s refueling mission.

This is the first I’ve hard of this. The DPJ should formulate an alternative plan.

This is opposing something simply for the sake of opposing it. Such behavior is tantamount to the DPJ abandoning its mission and role as a responsible political party.

Unless the DPJ formulate an alternative plan, I’m forced to agree with the moral cowards at the Yomiuri.

My opinion is the DPJ should either support getting out altogether — arguing that the case for Japanese involvement in Afghanistan just isn’t there — or they should offer PKO troops to the ongoing UN mission to rebuild the country.

Of course, they could just point out that according to article 9 Japan shouldn’t even have an army and navy and air force. Wouldn’t bet on that happening though.