Dilemma between Alliance and Constitution

 In the new year ministerial online meeting, Japan and United States resolved to work together to deal with various challenges by China. In the Joint Statement of the Security Consultative Committee, or “2+2,” the ministers of both government, US Secretaries of State and Defense and Japanese Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defense, expressed their concerns on Beijing’s efforts, which were recognized as undermining the rule-based order in Indo-Pacific region and the world. On possible countermeasures, however, there still is a possibility of constitutional dispute in Japan over the principle of exclusively defensive security policy.

The ministers referred to their concern about China’s activities in the East and the West China Sea. They reaffirmed to apply Article V of US-Japan Treaty of mutual Cooperation and Security to the Senkaku Islands, and strongly objected to China’s unlawful maritime claims, militarization and coercive activities in the South China Sea. They did not forget touching on human rights issues in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region and Hong Kong, as well as importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

While United States restated its commitment to the defense of Japan with its full range of capabilities including nuclear, Japan reiterated its resolve to reinforce its defense capabilities. Their shared concern was apparently about large-scale development of nuclear weapons, ballistic and cruise missiles and advanced weapons system such as hypersonics. Japan expressed its intention to examine all options for national defense including capabilities to counter missile threats.

The main argument in Japan is whether “all options” include enemy base strike capabilities or not. Japanese government has been maintaining the policy ruling out the first strike as unconstitutional, because it may violate the Article 9 that renounces use of force as means of settling international disputes. It is actually difficult to determine what kind of enemy’s activities will be regarded as the beginning of offense.

Although Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has told that the capability was an option to boost defense, not only the opposite parties but the coalition partner of Liberal Democratic Party, Komeito, is doubtful to approve the capability. This will be one of the controversial issues in the ordinary session of National Diet starting next week.

China immediately responded to the ministerial meeting. An official appealed that Japan and US denounced China with fabrication of false information and expressed strong complaint and firm opposition. Recognizing accumulation of security instability in Northeast Asia, including consecutive provocations of missile launch by North Korea, Tokyo looks like caught in a dilemma between security requirement for maintenance of Japan-US alliance and consistency of its policy with traditional defensive principles.