Japan using North Korea as pretext to acquire offensive weapons
By
Ben McGrath
8 July 2017
Japan is using the recent test launch of a North Korean long-range missile to drastically step up its remilitarization drive and cast off the constitutional restrictions on its military. This longstanding goal of Japanese imperialism is being dressed up in the language of self-defense even as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government seeks the capability to launch “pre-emptive” attacks on North Korea.
The Abe government is working in close coordination with the US administration under the banner of “collective self-defense.” On Wednesday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga stated, without elaborating, that Japan and the US had agreed to take “specific actions to improve our defense systems and our ability to deter North Korea.”
After a meeting of the US, Japanese and South Korean leaders the day before the G20 summit in Hamburg, Japanese foreign ministry spokesman Norio Maruyama said: “North Korea now constitutes a new level of threat to Japan and a clear provocation to Japan and also to the international community.”
Tokyo is in the process of acquiring cruise missiles, including Tomahawks, from the US. Citing an American official involved in talks with Japan, the New York Times reported on July 5 that the purchase of these missiles was being discussed. Japan’s defense ministry denied it, conscious of public opposition.
However, the Japan Times similarly reported at the beginning of May that the Abe government was interested in buying Tomahawk missiles and was considering setting aside money in the draft 2018 defense budget in preparation. These missiles would be deployed on naval vessels and could attack any part of North Korea from the Sea of Japan.
Japan is…