Abe calls Japan’s defense-only posture “tough strategy”

February 15, 2018

Tokyo- -Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reaffirmed Wednesday Japan's adherence to an exclusively defense-oriented national security posture, while admitting it is a tough strategy to take.

"If regarded purely as a defense strategy, the posture we take is a very tough one," Abe told a House of Representatives Budget Committee meeting. "We effectively have to tolerate a first attack and possibly see our land turn into a battlefield."

Regarding long-range cruise missiles, which the Defense Ministry plans to deploy on the Air Self-Defense Force's F-35A stealth fighter jets, Abe said, "It's indispensable that we have missiles that allow us to respond from outside the range of the threat from the opponent while ensuring the safety of SDF personnel under the exclusively defense-oriented policy."

Some critics say long-range cruise missiles may give Japan the ability to attack enemy bases.

Elsewhere in the committee meeting, Yukio Edano, leader of the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, brought up the issue of constitutional amendment.

On Abe's explanation that the SDF's duties and authority will not change even if a new clause to recognize the SDF's existence is added to the constitution's war-renouncing Article 9, as proposed by the prime minister, Edano said, "This is an attempt to imprint wrong ideas that lead the public to make prejudgments."

Abe said he believes the SDF will operate within the same constraints as the current ones, although this will depend on how the additional clause is worded.

Referring to U.S. Vice President Mike Pence's reported remarks about the possibility of dialogue with North Korea, Abe stressed again that no dialogue should be held unconditionally.

"We'll apply maximum pressure on North Korea to urge the country to achieve denuclearization in a completely verifiable and irreversible manner," Abe said. "We've confirmed with U.S. government officials that this policy remains unchanged."

Abe explained how he came in contact with Kim Yong Nam, president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of North Korea, during a reception for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in South Korea on Friday.

"Seated at a round table, we made greetings one by one," including Kim, Abe said.

Abe said that while talking with Kim, he brought up the issue of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea decades ago and the problem of the reclusive state's nuclear and missile development.

"I strongly conveyed Japan's thoughts," Abe said. Jiji Press