New security laws draw mixed response from Hiroshima-area people
Apr. 19, 2016
Japan’s new security laws, taking effect on March 29, will enable Japan to exercise the right to collective self-defense and will significantly alter the country’s security policy. Some people linked to the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) have expressed concern, while others have welcomed this legislation. A-bomb survivors and intellectuals appear divided in their reactions.
The city of Kure, in Hiroshima Prefecture, is home to a Maritime Self-Defense Force station and a port that is used by its ships. A member of the SDF in his 30s said, “I’m prepared to hold a gun, but I don’t know what will happen until I’m actually facing a confrontation. I’m afraid some SDF personnel will suffer physically and mentally.” At the same time, in Etajima, where an ammunition supply depot and the JMSDF First Service School are located, one member in his 40s said, “By building an equal partnership with U.S. forces, we can take greater pride in our work.”
A variety of reactions have come from those with ties to the SDF. A woman in her 30s, whose husband is an SDF member, said she spent days worrying when she was unable to contact him while he was on patrol duty in the Sea of Japan after North Korean launched a missile. She fears that, from now on, she will worry over his safety whenever he goes to sea. Shoji Kira, 59, the head of the Iwakuni chapter of the Yamaguchi Defense Association, a group that supports SDF events, stressed the significance of the laws. “We are facing immediate threats from China and North Korea, as they expand their military strength, and the new laws will move the country one step forward in defending itself,” he said.
There are lingering concerns that Japan might be the target of a terrorist attack or become mired in conflicts. Kiyoshi Okawa, 57, is the head of a citizens’ group that is opposed to expanding the functions of the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni. “Only recently there were terrorist attacks in Belgium,” Mr. Okawa said. “With Japan working alongside U.S. forces, Iwakuni could be exposed to the danger of a terrorist attack.”
“After the laws take effect, the public shouldn’t let the government do whatever it wants. To maintain peace, we must keep a watchful eye on the situation,” said Toshiyuki Mimaki, 74, the vice chairman of one faction of the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations, chaired by Sunao Tsuboi. Mr. Mimaki expressed his growing concerns about the possibility of Japan becoming involved in conflict or war, referring to a comment made by the director-general of the Cabinet Legislation Bureau, who said he didn’t believe that the use of every kind of nuclear weapon is banned under the Constitution.
Kazumi Nikaido, 42, is a singer and Buddhist monk and has been expressing her opposition to the security laws. A resident of Otake, Hiroshima Prefecture, she said, “I can’t accept the government’s attitude in turning a deaf ear to the public’s persistent opposition to these laws. I want Japan to stick to the ideal of renouncing the use of force.”
However, Michihiro Hide, 58, a professor of dermatology in the graduate school at Hiroshima University, has consistently backed the security laws. He said, “The security laws are one measure that can help people around the world live together in piece. It’s an illogical contention to claim that the laws enable Japan to fight in a war.”
(Originally published on March 29, 2016)
The city of Kure, in Hiroshima Prefecture, is home to a Maritime Self-Defense Force station and a port that is used by its ships. A member of the SDF in his 30s said, “I’m prepared to hold a gun, but I don’t know what will happen until I’m actually facing a confrontation. I’m afraid some SDF personnel will suffer physically and mentally.” At the same time, in Etajima, where an ammunition supply depot and the JMSDF First Service School are located, one member in his 40s said, “By building an equal partnership with U.S. forces, we can take greater pride in our work.”
A variety of reactions have come from those with ties to the SDF. A woman in her 30s, whose husband is an SDF member, said she spent days worrying when she was unable to contact him while he was on patrol duty in the Sea of Japan after North Korean launched a missile. She fears that, from now on, she will worry over his safety whenever he goes to sea. Shoji Kira, 59, the head of the Iwakuni chapter of the Yamaguchi Defense Association, a group that supports SDF events, stressed the significance of the laws. “We are facing immediate threats from China and North Korea, as they expand their military strength, and the new laws will move the country one step forward in defending itself,” he said.
There are lingering concerns that Japan might be the target of a terrorist attack or become mired in conflicts. Kiyoshi Okawa, 57, is the head of a citizens’ group that is opposed to expanding the functions of the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni. “Only recently there were terrorist attacks in Belgium,” Mr. Okawa said. “With Japan working alongside U.S. forces, Iwakuni could be exposed to the danger of a terrorist attack.”
“After the laws take effect, the public shouldn’t let the government do whatever it wants. To maintain peace, we must keep a watchful eye on the situation,” said Toshiyuki Mimaki, 74, the vice chairman of one faction of the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations, chaired by Sunao Tsuboi. Mr. Mimaki expressed his growing concerns about the possibility of Japan becoming involved in conflict or war, referring to a comment made by the director-general of the Cabinet Legislation Bureau, who said he didn’t believe that the use of every kind of nuclear weapon is banned under the Constitution.
Kazumi Nikaido, 42, is a singer and Buddhist monk and has been expressing her opposition to the security laws. A resident of Otake, Hiroshima Prefecture, she said, “I can’t accept the government’s attitude in turning a deaf ear to the public’s persistent opposition to these laws. I want Japan to stick to the ideal of renouncing the use of force.”
However, Michihiro Hide, 58, a professor of dermatology in the graduate school at Hiroshima University, has consistently backed the security laws. He said, “The security laws are one measure that can help people around the world live together in piece. It’s an illogical contention to claim that the laws enable Japan to fight in a war.”
(Originally published on March 29, 2016)
