It’s taken more than sixty years, but it seems that Japan is preparing to assert itself as a regional power:
TOKYO, Dec. 15 — Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government pushed through landmark laws Friday requiring Japanese schools to encourage patriotism in the classroom and elevating the Defense Agency to the status of a full ministry for the first time since World War II.
Both measures are considered cornerstones of Abe’s agenda to bolster Japan’s military status and rebuild national pride in a country that has long associated patriotism with its imperialist past. The legislation cleared the upper house of parliament on Friday after winning approval in the lower house last month and will take effect early next year.
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The primary mission of Japan’s Self-Defense Forces, whose role had long been strictly defined as defense of the home islands, will now be expanded to include overseas peacekeeping missions. Japan deployed noncombat troops in Iraq from 2004 until earlier this year, but only after Koizumi won special authority from parliament.
The agency’s elevation to a ministry will also facilitate passage of more specific laws giving Japan greater flexibility to dispatch its forces to international hot spots. More important, it could eventually allow Japan to offer a larger measure of logistical support in a regional conflict. Such a move could change the balance of power in East Asia, empowering Tokyo, for instance, to assist the United States in defending Taiwan in the event of Chinese aggression. But officials here say it may take years before bills that would explicitly permit such actions are drafted and submitted to parliament.
Considering the challenges that could arise in Asia in the near-future, a more-assertive Japan, along with the United States, could be a good thing.
