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SDF

JAPAN / Politics
Jul 15, 2015
Amid angry scenes, ruling parties force security bills through Lower House committee
A special Diet committee has sign off on legislation that would expand the scope of Self-Defense Forces’ missions overseas, setting the stage for a vote in the Lower House.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 13, 2015
DPJ’s Okada says Abe on slippery slope with push to enact security legislation
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will be taking a big risk if he pushes through a dramatic change in security policy despite objections from most citizens, who want a better explanation for why the change is needed, a top opposition figure has said.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 9, 2015
LDP, DPJ take to Internet to mount security bill-related campaigns of persuasion
As Prime Minister Shinzo Abe prepares to ram through legislation that would drastically alter Japan’s security stance, both the LDP and DPJ are taking their arguments to the people — via a variety of online media.
EDITORIALS
Jul 3, 2015
Abe’s poor answers on security bills
The Abe administration continues to fail to satisfactorily answer the questions that dog its proposed security legislation.
EDITORIALS
Jun 25, 2015
More time won’t justify security bills
Even if the Abe government extends the Diet session to ensure passage of its security legislation, it still must pass constitutional muster to be legitimate.
EDITORIALS
Jun 17, 2015
Stop dodging key security questions
The government and the ruling bloc should reflect on why public understanding of its security bills remain elusive.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 5, 2015
Experts’ tongue-lashing rekindles Diet debate on reinterpreted Constitution
The surprise tongue-lashing in the Diet meted out by three noted constitutional scholars has reignited debate on whether the Cabinet’s reinterpretation of Article 9 last year was legitimate.
EDITORIALS
Jun 3, 2015
Stop ducking security bill questions
The Abe administration is doing everything it can to avoid getting pinned down on the details of its security legislation — to the detriment of public understanding.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 1, 2015
Abe says SDF could provide logistic aid to foreign forces in Middle East, Indian Ocean under new laws
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says the Self-Defense Forces could provide logistic aid to foreign militaries in the Middle East and the Indian Ocean, detailing for the first time specific regions where Japanese troops could offer rear-area support under contentious security legislation.
EDITORIALS
May 22, 2015
Security bills raise critical questions
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe must discuss the potential downside of security legislation that would usher in a major shift in the nation’s postwar defense posture.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
May 15, 2015
Peace or war? Diet plays security bill name game
The government says two safely named security bills endorsed by the Cabinet are for “peace,” but the titles aren’t flying with everyone.
EDITORIALS
May 15, 2015
Defense bills remain problematic
The Abe administration’s legislative package to expand the SDF’s role finally reaches the Diet — but still remains poorly explained.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 12, 2015
New guidelines leave the U.S. defending Japan
During his recent visit to Washington, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was eloquent in stating why Japan enjoyed being allied with America. But it isn’t evident what the U.S. receives in return.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
May 9, 2015
It’s all fun and games until war breaks out
Not far from where I live is a kind of amusement park where you can play soldier. It has a lot of chain-link fences and gray structures that look like bombed-out buildings. On weekends, men, and sometimes women, dressed in camouflage and armed with replica air rifles, re-enact the kind of military operations...
JAPAN / Politics
May 9, 2015
Japan, Philippines to hold first naval drill in South China Sea: sources
Japan and the Philippines will hold their first joint naval drill this month in the South China Sea near a disputed shoal claimed by Beijing, sources in Tokyo and the Philippines said.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 8, 2015
We need to talk about Abe
Shinzo Abe is bent on making Japan a ‘normal’ country, but has he thought out the consequences of elevating the SDF to a full-fledged military?
EDITORIALS
Apr 26, 2015
Civilian control over the SDF
Lawmakers should confirm the importance of civilian control of the SDF and pursue ways to strengthen the system rather than to undermine it.
EDITORIALS
Apr 24, 2015
Blurry limits on SDF missions
Security legislation prepared by the Abe administration does not dispel concerns that the SDF’s overseas missions could be expanded without limits.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 20, 2015
Abe breaking arms taboo with Japan’s first defense trade show
Japan will host its first international defense trade show next month as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe elbows the pacifist Constitution aside to tap the lucrative arms industry.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 16, 2015
Japan jets scramble at Cold War levels as Chinese, Russian incursions continue to climb
The Air Self-Defense Force said Wednesday that jet fighter scrambles have reached a level not seen since the height of the Cold War three decades ago, as Russian bombers probe its northern skies and Chinese combat aircraft intrude into its southern air space.

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival