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Japan needs to beef up military: report

With an F-4EJ multi-role fighter, left, and an F-2 interceptor in the background, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi reviews troops of Japan's Air Self-Defense Forces from an open car during an inspection tour of Hyakuri Air Base, northeast of Tokyo, last October. Citing the threat emanating from North Korea, the Japanese Defense Agency said yesterday Japan should bolster its defenses against possible nuclear, chemical and terrorist attacks through research into better anti-ballistic missile defense systems and closer cooperation with the US military. PHOTO: AP

Japan should bolster its defense against possible nuclear and terrorist attacks through better anti-ballistic missile systems and closer cooperation with the US military, the government said yesterday in its annual defense report.

For a second straight year, terrorism dominated the Defense Agency's annual white paper, but the 393-page study also urged the military to raise its international profile and warned against the threat of North Korea's nuclear weapons and missile programs.

It suggested beefed-up participation in UN peacekeeping missions, counter-terrorism activities, the policing of maritime traffic and the curbing of weapons of mass destruction, while calling for closer ties with the US, particularly in tackling terrorism, narcotics trafficking and cyberattacks.

It also cited North Korea's nuclear and missile programs as one of Japan's biggest security concerns, and recommended speeding up research on missile defense.

Japan currently has 27 Patriot anti-missile batteries. But they can only down missiles with a shorter range and slower speed than the ballistic missiles North Korea is believed to be developing -- including the Taepodong missile test-launched over Japan's main island, Honshu, in 1998.

Between fiscal 1999 and 2002, Japan spent about ?13.7 billion (US$114 million) on missile defense research. It budgeted an additional ?1.9 billion (US$15.8 million) -- or about 0.3 percent of this year's spending -- to test newer systems, the report said.

Aside from upgrading the system, Tokyo should continue relying on the 50,000 US troops stationed here under the half-century-old bilateral security pact, yesterday's report said.

It also recommended creating elite commando units versed in counterterrorism, urban and guerrilla warfare and defenses against biological and chemical weaponry.

Japan's Defense Agency also raised concerns about China's sharply expanding military budget. This year, China's military spending rose by 9.6 percent -- the first time in only 15 years that it hadn't grown by more than 10 percent -- the report said.

Japan's overall defense budget remains among the world's largest.

For this year, Japan expects to spend ?4.95 trillion (US$41 billion) on defense, down 0.1 percent from last year and less than 1 percent of its GDP.

One of the major challenges for Japanese troops will be responding to new threats and disasters, even as they face cutbacks.

Masatoshi Shimbo, the agency's defense counselor and deputy director-general for international relations, said a five-year plan through 2007 calls for a downsizing in troops from 180,000 to around 145,000, as part of a post-Cold War reshuffle.

Last month, Japan's Parliament passed legislation authorizing the government to send troops to overseas trouble spots to offer medical assistance, repatriate refugees, reconstruct buildings and roads and give administrative advice. Months earlier, lawmakers also approved legislation that defines the military's role in case of foreign attacks on Japan.

The passage of the bills was a victory for Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who has campaigned hard to send peacekeeping troops overseas to broaden Japan's role in international affairs.

In November 2001, Tokyo began its missions to the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea to provide rearguard support for the US-led war on terrorism in Afghanistan.

Japan is now reportedly considering up to 1,000 combat engineers and other troops for transport and construction duties in Iraq.

Critics say the government's backing of a more active Japanese military signals a shift toward remilitarization and violates the country's post-World War II pacifist constitution. Japan's constitution limits its military -- called the Self Defense Forces -- to non-combat roles following decades of imperialistic aggression.

Separately, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said yesterday the Self-Defense Forces will join Russian military exercises in the Russian Far East in late August, including plans for naval search-and-rescue drills.

Fukuda said Japan's participation is part of the action plan the two countries signed in January which underscores the need for increased cooperation.
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