【直言】（英語版）密接に結び付く憲法論議と歴史情報戦 |
下記は、国基研「今週の直言」2015年2月9日付に書いた「密接に結び付く憲法論議と歴史情報戦」の英訳である。ここにも転載しておく。
Japan Institute for National Fundamentals
http://en.jinf.jp/weekly/archives/3459
【#285】Constitutional Debate Linked to History War
Yoichi Shimada ／ 2015.02.12 (Thu)
February 9, 2015
When a delegation of the JapanInstitute for National Fundamentals visited India in September 2011 along witha bipartisan group of Japanese lawmakers including Shinzo Abe, now primeminister, a former senior Indian government official made an impressive remarkI still remember. Noting that Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution would beJapan's disease while the non-alignment policy would be India's disease, theformer official recommended that Japan and India overcome their respectivediseases to counter growing Chinese threats. This may be a rightrecommendation.
TerroristIncident and Diet debate
In response to radical Muslimterrorists' brutal slaughter of Japanese citizens, Prime Minister Abe said atthe House of Councilors Budget Committee on February 3 that Article 9 of theConstitution must be amended "to accomplish missions to defend the livesand property of the people." In contrast, a negative attitude against suchconstitutional amendment seems dominant in the opposition camp, as indicated byDemocratic Party of Japan leader Katsuya Okada's remark that debate onconstitutional amendments would be dangerous under the prime minister who poursscorn over or has low regard for the present Constitution.
As a result, Prime Minister Abe hasfailed to depart from his contradictory remarks that cannot be internationallyunderstandable. While vowing "not to forgive terrorists but to cooperatewith the international community in forcing them to pay for their crime,"Abe said that Japan would never participate in military operations by thecoalition against Islamic State terrorists and that the government could notimplement the Self-Defense Forces' logistic support allowed under theConstitution for such operations in the absence of any law for such support orwould not do so as a policy even if the law were enacted.
The remarks involved the Middle Eastthat is geographically far away from Japan. If Abe makes similar remarks incase a coalition launches military operations on the Korean Peninsula to rescueJapanese abductees in North Korea, the international community may pour scornover him.
Japanplayed a central role in rescuing hostages
Japan once had played a central rolein subduing an international terrorist group and rescuing hostages. In 1900,the Militia United in Righteousness (Yihetuan), known as the"Boxers," expanded into Peking calling for anti-foreignism radically.In response, the then Qing dynasty government declared war in June againsteight countries including Japan, Britain, the United States, Germany, Franceand Russia, leading Qing dynasty government forces and radical Boxer militantsto cooperate in attacking these countries’ diplomatic establishments in Peking.Diplomats as well as some 3,000 Chinese Christians subject to terror attacks bythe militants were placed under siege at a quarter for diplomaticestablishments for some two months. Then Japanese Defense Attaché Goro Shibaserved as chief of staff for foreign diplomatic delegations there.
On August 14, the eight countries'allied forces of which Japan accounted for half arrived there and liberated thediplomatic establishments from the siege. The Times in its editorial describedthe incident as featuring Japanese soldiers' brilliant prowess and tactics insupporting these diplomatic establishments' resistance to the siege. During theallied forces' subsequent military rule of Peking, the Japanese-covered areawas appreciated as featuring the strictest military discipline.
Although Japan's modern war historyincludes some cases where Japan lacked prudence or rationality, people wellversed in historical facts involving Japan may immediately feel that claims forthe massacre of 300,000 people at the Nanking incident and the forciblerecruitment of 200,000 girls for comfort women represent fabrication. As wellas overseas anti-Japan groups, Japanese Constitution defenders hold fast todistorted history cards because any cards other than those labeling Japaneseforces as aggressors are unfavorable for them. Debate on constitutionalamendments is closely linked to the history-related propaganda war.
YoichiShimada is Planning Committee Member, Japan Institute for NationalFundamentals, and Professor at Fukui Prefectural University.
