BY DAIGO SAWANO

The ninth article of the Japanese Constitution says that Japan is a nation which embodies the principle of peace. According to the article, this nation will never threaten foreign countries and will never exercise its arms. However, how about the Japanese Self-Defence Forces? This problem has been argued in the public forum, yet since the Japanese Diet regards this problem as a difference in interpretation of the Constitution, it is rarely argued in the Diet. Let us try to reconsider "the abandonment of war" article in the second chapter of the ninth article of the Constitution.

Though we often hear that "The Japanese Self-Defence Force is not a military force but an institution for self-defence against foreign attacks", we would like to say that " The Japanese Self-Defence Force is a military unit". Why is an organisation which has the highest level of equipments and arms in the world called "the Japanese Self-Defence Force"? Although the Japanese Self-Defence Force has never, in fact, participated in any wars and never taken arms against foreign nations, when the Japanese Self-Defence Forces practice with heavy armaments, they look as if they are a real military force.

Then, what will become of the Japanese Self-Defence Force? There are two opinions about this question. One is that we should abolish the Japanese Self-Defence Force and aim to be the nation which genuinely embodies the principle of peace. This way is, certainly, the universal hope among people all over the world. How wonderful is the world without wars. It is very sad that people kill and injure each other and it leaves deep bruises not only on the bodies of people at the time but also on the minds of the following and future generations. To avoid the recurrence of such tragedies, Japan should appeal for peace throughout the world as the nation with a peace-committed Constitution.

The other way is to continue to employ the Japanese Self-Defence Force as an organisation to keep the peace. The difference between this role and that of the present Japanese Self-Defence Force is that the organisation does not aim to carry out self-defence but only to assist in disaster relief in Japan and other countries, and to work in peace-keeping operations. In this case, the Japanese Self-Defence Force should reduce its quantity of arms. Today, it is an international obligation to support developing countries; but it is difficult for Japan to support developing countries because of the restrictions imposed by the Constitution. Japan, which has no official military force, has to establish such a system in order to contribute towards global peace.

It is also important to discuss the issue of the U.S. Forces stationed in Japan. These forces have been stationed in Japan since Japan was defeated in World War ��. At first, their purpose was to maintain the peace of East Asia including Japan, but now, since Japan has its own Self-Defence Force, military support is not necessary. Although, this was once a seemingly good reason for maintaining the peace of East Asia, East Asia can maintain its own peace without the support of the U.S.A.. Today, it is the U.S.A. which threatens the peace of East Asia.

In Costa Rica, more than 2,000 people were sacrificed to the civil war on 1948. As a result a Constitution was devised to abolish the military; they have tried to keep peace without resorting to arms by the abandonment of military power. It is fortunate that Japan also has a peaceful Constitution. We should reconsider the position where the Japanese Self-Defence Force is located within the Constitution. There will be no peace in the world as long as arms exist. Japan should be the nation which aims to be a peaceful nation and be a leader of peace not only in Asia but all over the world. Today, since other nations have not changed, therefore Japan should change herself first.