The passage of the 1999 law also coincided with the debates about the status of the Yasukuni Shrine, U.S.-Japan military cooperation and the creation of a missile defense program.
Pengesahan hukum 1999 juga bertepatan dengan perdebatan mengenai status Kuil Yasukuni, kerjasama militer AS-Jepang dan program penciptaan pertahanan rudal.