Newsgroups: bit.listserv.seasia-l
Date:         Tue, 28 Jul 1992 04:43:50 PDT
From:         "Indonesia Publications/Task Force" <apakabar@IGC.APC.ORG>
Subject:      SEA: Japan Assures ASEAN
X-To:         seasia-l@msu.edu

/* Written 12:04 am  Jul 28, 1992 by newsdesk in cdp:ips.englibrary */
/* ---------- "PHILIPPINES: JAPAN SEEKS NO AGGRESS" ---------- */
Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Title: PHILIPPINES: JAPAN SEEKS NO AGGRESSIVE MILITARY ROLE


manila, jul 25 (ips/ramon isberto) -- japan has assured the
association of south-east asian nations (asean) that it will not
become an aggressive military power despite recent shifts in tokyo's
security policies favouring the deployment of japanese troops
overseas.

''japan is determined to abide by its peace constitution and act
according to its basic philosophy of never becoming a military power
again such as might pose a threat to other countries,'' said
japanese parliamentary vice minister koji kakizawa in his meeting
with asean foreign ministers saturday.

kakizawa said however that japan opposes asean's call for a debt
write-off contained in its communique issued wednesday. he said such
a move would discourage donor countries from granting new loans to
developing counries.

the japanese official said tokyo would maintain its security
arrangements with the united states to retain a ''moderate self-
defence capability'' in keeping with its ''exclusively defensive
posture.''

he added that the japan-u.s. security arrangements are meant to
ensure continued u.s. military presence in the region, ''which is a
stabilising factor in the asia-pacific region''.

tokyo's assurances were aimed at calming fears stirred by the
recent passage of a japanese law allowing, for the first time since
the second world war, the overseas deployment of japanese military
forces.

the law was passed after japan had been criticised in the west
for failing to support more decisively the u.s.-led war effort
against iraq in the 1991 gulf war.

it imposed stiff limits -- only non-combat troops could be sent
to support the united nation's peace-keeping missions -- and was
passed mainly to allow japan a bigger role in the u.n.-supervised
cambodian peace process.

still, the move signalled tokyo's increased willingness to
assume a bigger role in international politics and security that
has stirred some unease in asean over japan's strategic intentions.

''japan is now studying the concrete means to dispatch japanese
personnel to the united nations transitional authority in cambodia
(untac) according to this law, while seeking the asean countries to
understand its intentions correctly,'' kakizawa said.

kakizawa's reference to japan's security alliance with the united
states was also aimed at reassuring asean in the light of calls
for japan to handle its defence requirements by itself.
(more/ips)



philippines: japan (2)

japanese military analyst shintaro ishihara, author of the book
'a japan which can say no', for example, bats for a ''tactically
autonomous defence capability''.

other japanese analysts say however that taking on an independent
defence strategy would eventually push japan into arming itself with
nuclear weapons, a prospect that japan's neighbours -- friends and
allies alike -- dread. (end/ips/ri/cir/92)
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