Japanese cabinet approves changes to collective self-defence posture
Kosuke Takahashi, Tokyo and James Hardy, London - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
30 June 2014
The Cabinet of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on 1 July approved changes to its interpretation of the war-renouncing constitution to enable the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) to exercise the right to collective self-defence.
The decision marks a major change in Japan's post-war security policy, which was almost unique for its constitutional commitment to pacifism.
"The international security environment surrounding Japan is becoming more severe," Abe said in a nationally televised press conference on 1 July. "Assuming every possible scenario, we need to make seamless security legislation to protect the lives and peaceful livelihoods of the Japanese people."
A provisional translation of the decision released by the Cabinet Office said that the "the right [of the people] to live in peace" recognised in the preamble of the Constitution and Article 13, which stipulates, "their [all the people's] right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" was more important than Article 9, which famously prohibits the use of force and the maintenance of "land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential".
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