The nature of the debate on the role and limits of Japan's military actions would be high farce if the issue itself wasn't so important.  No nation can maintain its place in the world without being able to A.) Defend itself and B.) to defeat any one who attacks her.  Japan can do A if attacked but her ability to do B is in serious dobt, because she is reliant upon the US to carry out B, but the US not unreasonably believes that Japan should play a role in B, not just A.

From the Daily Yomuiri: Vision needed to enact lasting SDF dispatch law.

     A government panel of experts tasked with reestablishing the legal framework for the nation's preparedness to deal with state emergencies must come up with reports that contribute to the nation's security without being influenced by changes in the political landscape.

     Under the government's traditional interpretation of the Constitution, Japan has the right of collective self-defense, but may not exercise this right. Naturally, this interpretation has caused much head-scratching in the international community.

     Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who wanted to tackle this problem, established the panel in April. The panel held five meetings, but has been inactive since Abe resigned suddenly from his post about three months ago.

     In addition, the situation surrounding the panel has been turned on its head due to the Liberal Democratic Party's crushing defeat in July's House of Councillors election and the ensuing change of administration.

     Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda is very cautious about changing this constitutional interpretation, while the LDP's coalition partner, New Komeito, has hardened its opposition to modifying it. Even if the government wanted to change this interpretation, enacting necessary laws would be no easy task because of the current split Diet in which the ruling parties hold a majority in the House of Representatives and the opposition bloc controls the upper house.

     Nevertheless, the government panel's direct reference to the issue as "shackling" the nation's security policy was eye-opening.

     Shackled is right, Japan is shackeled to the corpse of mid Twentieth century idealism in the wild and wooly world of the early twenty first century.

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From First Multi-National force Iraq:

Troops Want to Come Home, But Want Service in Iraq to Count, Gates Says.

Shaping the Future: Police Transition Team Helping to Instill Pride in the Force.

Iraqi Security Forces, U.S. Special Forces detain 13 in separate operations.

Iraqis Construct Fallujah’s First-Ever Sewage System.

Iraqi Security Forces, U.S. Special Forces detain terrorist cell leader, two others in separate operations.

Operation Varsity March leads to capture of suspect.

Iraqi Police find massive weapons cache in southern Ninevah.

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      The DPJ has apparently managed to pull itself together enough to resume its doomed oposition to a new Anti-Terrorism special measures bill.  As expected the LDP has been more than willing to work with the DPJ to find  a mutually agreeable bill but the DPJ proves once more that you can lead a horse to water but you can't force him to drink.

From the Yomuiri Shimbun: Ozawa refuses to budge on antiterror bill.

     Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda on Thursday was rebuffed by Democratic Party of Japan President Ichiro Ozawa over a request for the opposition party to cooperate in the adoption of a new antiterrorism bill at the current Diet session.

     Failure by the two leaders to reach an agreement on the government-sponsored bill aimed at resuming the Maritime Self-Defense Force's refueling mission in the Indian Ocean has set the stage for the extension of the current Diet session, observers say.

     The Diet session, which had already been extended earlier this month, will end on Dec. 15. The government and the ruling parties are set to enter discussions on a plan to extend the session for a second time, government sources said.

     And of course the DPJ still can't get itself together enough to offer up an alternative either viable or not to the government's bill currently on offer.  They are in fact hinting that they might just ignore the issue entirely in the upper house, which would make it and their control of it completely irrelevant.

As detailed here also by the Yomuiri: Where are the alternatives?

     The Democratic Party of Japan, as the largest force in the House of Councillors, has a great role to play in helping administer state affairs. This is particularly significant under the current extraordinary power relationship in the Diet, with the opposition camp controlling the upper house and the ruling coalition holding an overwhelming majority in the House of Representatives.

     To make matters worse, the DPJ has yet to submit to the Diet an alternative for the government's antiterrorism bill. Neither has the party presented realistic and specific international peacekeeping plans as a means of fighting terrorism. This attitude can be seen as the DPJ lacking any sense of responsibility.

     Ozawa has said it is necessary to uncover the whole truth about suspicions surrounding Finance Minister Fukushiro Nukaga and former Administrative Vice Defense Minister Takemasa Moriya in connection with a scandal involving defense contractor Yamada Corp.

     Although doing so is important, the affair is unrelated to Japan's contribution to international peacekeeping activities and should not be used as a delay tool for Diet discussions on the new antiterrorism bill.

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     Rather the DPJ (Minshuto) are more interested in parsing the particulars of what Japan does and who approved of it.  Basically it is all down to semantics at this point.  The DPJ has said that A) any continuation of the Indian ocean mission must have UN approval, and that it would rather send ground troops to Afghanistan to participate in the PRT's (Provincial Reconstruction Teams) working with the ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) which does have a UN mandate.  But the US will have little dificulty ginning up a UN mandate to cover the past and future Indian ocean operations, as we have already steered a resolution praising the Japanese mission through the UNSC (United Nations Security Council).  So Ozawa and the DPJ may end up gaining nothng on the naval front while giving the Fukuda administration a bludegon to use against them or worse allow the deployment to Afghanistan and lay the blame for the inevitable casualties at the feet of the DPJ, which while nasty would not be all that untrue, politics is a nasty business at the best of times and these certainly aren't the best of times as far as politics in Japan are concerned.

The Asahi Shimbun on the need for a UN mandate: Minshuto: Refueling must have U.N. OK.

     In a counterproposal to the government's new anti-terrorism bill, Minshuto (Democratic Party of Japan) on Tuesday offered to support such missions only when they have U.N. approval. Otherwise, the Self-Defense Forces should limit their role to civilian activities.

 The Yomuiri Shimbun on the problems with the DPJ's counter proposal: DPJ's counterproposal unsatisfactory.

     The Democratic Party of Japan has drafted the outline of a bill that constitutes the party's counterproposal to the government's bill for a new antiterrorism law to allow the Maritime Self-Defense Force to resume refueling activities in the Indian Ocean.

     Its content, however, makes it unsatisfactory as a workable counterproposal.

     The draft outline stipulates that the nation would dispatch Self-Defense Forces and civilian personnel to Afghanistan to participate in provincial reconstruction team (PRT) activities linked with the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in four areas, including food production, medical services and transportation.

     Regarding the ISAF, which DPJ President Ichiro Ozawa has called for Japan to participate in, the draft outline says this country will not participate in ISAF activities because the activities have yet to be proved effective.

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From the Yomuiri Shimbun: Envoys make case for MSDF mission.

     Ambassadors to Japan and military attaches at embassies in Japan from countries tied to antiterrorism missions in and around Afghanistan stressed the importance of the Maritime Self-Defense Force's refueling mission in the Indian Ocean to about 70 lawmakers of ruling and opposition parties in a presentation Wednesday.

     The meeting, arranged by the embassies of countries participating in maritime interdiction operations as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, was held in the morning at the Canadian Embassy in Minato Ward, Tokyo.

     The military attaches delivered presentations using photographs and maps to illustrate the security situation in Afghanistan. They also discussed the content of the maritime interdiction operations and how much fuel oil the MSDF has supplied to vessels.

     The LDP is mounting the fullcourt press to overcome the opposition of the DPJ on extending Japan's involvement with Operation Enduring freedom, and they are getting help from plenbty of sources.  While this a good start I think that to ensure the sucess of the new Anti-Terrorism special measures law the US and other Japanese allies should work to make their case directly to the Japanese public at large.  If the can be convinced that the mission should continue then they can bring pressure on their legislators to authorize continuing it.  While at the same time the Japanese government of Fukuda should also point out the downside of leaving her allies in a lurch.  As this piece from the Yomuiri Shimbun points out: MSDF pullout will have complex effects / Move seen likely to damage ties with Washington, tarnish Japan's image overseas.

     The withdrawal of the Maritime Self-Defense Force from its refueling mission in the Indian Ocean on Thursday has pulled Japan back from the front line of the war on terrorism.

     Though the government and ruling parties fret over the negative diplomatic impact of the move--especially its effect on ties with the United States--it is not yet known when the MSDF can resume its operations.

     Some lawmakers have initiated moves toward the creation of a permanent law governing the overseas dispatch of the Self-Defense Forces, saying a limited-term law is not fully capable of dealing with such affairs.

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