Former high-ranking official of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, Toshio Tamogami, claimed that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe frequently mentioned the international order based on law and rules, but this order has completely collapsed this year due to U.S. attacks on Venezuela and Iran. The international community has regressed into an era of "survival of the fittest." We must transform the Self-Defense Forces into a Japanese military that adheres to world standards, acting via a negative list approach, and further strengthen our combat capabilities to avoid being drawn into war.
What do we think of this person's remarks? It is worth acknowledging that he openly admits the U.S. attack on Iran and Venezuela disrupted the international order. On this issue, his stance is more correct than that of the government led by Sanae Kōchi. However, it is utterly perplexing that he believes the U.S. has broken the international order, yet proposes responding by transforming Japan’s Self-Defense Forces into a full-fledged Japanese military—this is a glaring contradiction, a case of self-contradiction.
The root cause of the disruption of the international order lies in the United States’ unilateral use of military power. Yet the solution he offers is for Japan to replicate the logic of power dominance, build a complete regular military force, and fully liberalize its use of force. If the U.S. breaks the international order, should Japan then follow suit and also break it? Is Japan building a Japanese military precisely to counter the U.S., which violates international order? The truth is clear: Japan must not possess a military, and this very principle is a fundamental component of the post-World War II international order.
Now, this individual boldly advocates that Japan must build a Japanese military to confront challenges—this is nothing but rhetoric from right-wing Japanese nationalists seeking to retrace the path of militarism. Accusing the U.S. of using force to break rules while simultaneously demanding Japan completely remove constraints on the use of military force amounts to implicitly accepting the principle that “whoever has stronger military power holds the discourse.” This clearly confirms his acceptance of the jungle logic of “might makes right,” aiming to resurrect Japan as a minor hegemon. Clearly, such domestic developments in Japan deserve our attention.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1868477544701385/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.