特集：｢反テロ戦争｣ の中の子ども・非戦・沖縄

Japan’s International Contributions: Article 9 as an Alternative to the Militarization of International Responses

Céline Nahory (Peace Boat)

Introduction urged Tokyo for a more complete military partner- The Global Article 9 Conference to Abolish ship, including full-fledged support in the so-called War was held from May 4-6, 2008. With the par- “war on terror.” ticipation of Nobel Peace Laureates, scholars, In order to contribute to US efforts in Af- cultural figures, peace-makers, peace-builders and ghanistan and Iraq - the two main fronts of the so- NGO activists from Japan and abroad, this three- called “war on terror” - Japan has bent the original day international conference served as a forum for interpretation of Article 9 and passed special laws, dialogue and discussions concerning the principles including an Anti-Terrorism Special Measures Law enshrined in Article 9, highlighting their interna- in 2001 and the Iraq Humanitarian Reconstruction tional relevance in regards to building a global Support Special Measures Law in 2003. peace that does not rely on force. Although its forces have not participated in Indeed, Article 9 is not just a provision of the combat, Japan has been involved in both Japanese law; international civil society has operations, providing support to the activities of the recognized its value as a framework for a non- US armed forces, notably through refuelling US military approach to international relations. The carriers to Afghanistan and most controversially by principles of Article 9 provide us with an under- deploying Self-Defense Forces to Iraq. standing of international cooperation and assistance It is needless to mention the unpopularity of before, during and after conflicts, and help define the war in Afghanistan and the illegality of the US the positive role that Japan can play at the interna- invasion and occupation of Iraq. Both wars have tional level without amending its unique constitu- had and continue to have a devastating impact on tion, focusing instead on its pacifist values. civilians including on women and children. Serious studies estimate at over a million the number of Current Context: Afghanistan and Iraq civilian deaths in Iraq since 2003, while a UNICEF One of the central arguments driving the call report reveals that Afghanistan has the third highest for revising the constitution is the necessity for mortality rate of children in the world. fuller integration with the US military strategy. The To justify the legality of its engagement two countries being bound since 1960 by a treaty alongside the US, Japan has claimed that its par- of mutual cooperation and security, Washington has ticipation was solely on a non-military basis.

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However, the US strategy of “winning the hearts hostage of three Japanese aid workers in 2004,and and minds” of the population has made the distinc- has greatly damaged Japan’s reputation as a tion between military and civilian activities increas- peaceful country. ingly difficult. For example in 2001, the US dropped humani- Japan’s UN contribution tarian aid into Afghanistan at the same time that it Japan’s quest for the recognition of its role at bombarded the country. Ironically, the emergency the international level has led Tokyo to bid for a food parcels were wrapped in yellow plastic - just permanent seat in the United Nations Security like the yellow casing of cluster bombs that US Council. In order to increase its chances of planes had been dropping. The confusion was such obtaining permanent membership, Japan has sought that the US was eventually forced to issue to play a more active role in the maintenance of warnings to the Afghan population that the two not international security, including by participating in be mistaken. Not only have such methods of aid UN Peacekeeping operations - a direction that has delivery long be proven to be absolutely ineffec- generated a heated debate on the legality of such tive, but it also has dangerously obscured the line participation under Article 9. between military and relief activities. In recent years, UN peacekeeping operations Japan’s international cooperation efforts have increasingly broadened their scope and themselves have become more and more integrated mandates. Often operating in contexts where there into military activities. In Afghanistan, in addition is no peace to keep, peacekeepers in so-called to the Self-Defense Forces refueling US vessels in “integrated missions” are responsible for protecting the Indian Ocean, Japanese funds earmarked for civilians, assisting political processes, disarming grass-roots “human security” assistance and recon- former combatants, reforming justice systems, struction have been used for joint military-civilian delivering humanitarian aid, helping with recon- operations. In fact, in 2002, an Advisory Group on struction, all while ensuring peace and security. Si- International Cooperation for Peace recommended multaneously, missions have become more robust - that international cooperation be the main role of an euphemism for the use of force as part of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces. A year later, Tokyo peacekeepers’ mandate to protect civilians - moving deployed its Self-Defense Forces in Iraq for recon- away from the strict limitation to protecting their struction purposes. Though the dispatch of Japanese own lives. forces to Iraq was justified as an ad-hoc “anti- Against this background, one can question terror” measure, the advocacy group’s report led to whether Japan’s participation in UN operations is the adoption of a permanent legislation in January in line with the 1992 special law concerning Coop- 2007 incorporating overseas activities as Self- eration for United Nations Peacekeeping Operations Defense Forces’ primary mission. Highly controver- and Other Operations that requires, among other sial, Japan’s use of military personnel for conditions, the impartiality of the mission and the humanitarian tasks has also put Japanese aid existence of a cease-fire. In fact, the constitutional- workers at risk, as epitomized by the taking into ity of the International Peace Cooperation Law is

―28― Japan’s International Contributions: Article 9 as an Alternative to the Militarization of International Responses of International Responses itself highly controversial, for it substantially the three non-nuclear principles of non-possession, departs from the original interpretation of Article 9. non-production and non-introduction of nuclear weapons on its territory. By rejecting dependence Blurring the lines on nuclear weapons in security policies, Article9’s The US strategy of “winning the hearts and principles pave the way for Japan to play a leading minds” of populations, as well as to some extent role in terms of nuclear non-proliferation and disar- the increasingly integrated UN missions, have mament - one of today’s most urgent tasks for blurred the lines between the military, political, achieving international security. reconstruction and humanitarian dimensions of the Likewise, in light of its post-war experience conflicts; the military and political aspects and subsequent economic prosperity, Japan has con- infringing on the neutrality of aid and on humani- tributed actively to peacebuilding activities tarian space. worldwide, including Disarmament, Demobilization This militarization of humanitarian responses and Reintegration (DDR) initiatives, economic co- and international assistance has created an environ- operation and development assistance. Recognizing ment that makes it difficult for NGOs and interna- the country’s efforts in this area, the newly created tional aid agencies to operate. From Afghanistan to UN Peacebuilding Commission selected Japan as Iraq or Sudan, humanitarian workers have increas- chair for 2007. Yet unfortunately, in recent years, ingly been subject to attacks by armed groups who Japanese Official Development Assistance (ODA) no longer see them as neutral interlocutors, often has been increasingly redirected to fit the country’s times impeding assistance efforts. geopolitical interests rather than alleviating poverty. In this context, Japanese contributions in the The preamble of Japan’s constitution “recognize[s] framework of US interventions and UN peacekeep- that all peoples of the world have the right to live ing operations, though labeled as “consolidation of in peace, free from fear and want.” Japan should peace” by Japanese officials, considerably deviate act accordingly and untie its international from the spirit of Article 9 and in fact pose serious assistance, fulfilling its end of responsibilities for questions as to their positive impact to international the achievement of the Millennium Development peace and security. Goals by spending 0.7 percent of its gross national income on ODA as a first step, and increasing not Article 9’s international contribution only the volume, but also the quality and predict- Instead of seeing Article 9 as a restraint, Japan ability of its aid. should realize that the country’s history and its A related area in which Japan has been a key pacifist constitution offer a unique approach to actor is the development and promotion of the world peace and present a wide range of possibili- notion of Human Security. Though it cannot be ties for the country to contribute through non- denied that it was developed as a tool to justify military means. Japan’s claim for a permanent seat in the UN For instance, as the only victim of nuclear Security Council, the concept has gone a long way bombings on two of its cities, Japan has followed in framing a new understanding of international

―29― Japan’s International Contributions: Article 9 as an Alternative to the Militarization of International Responses of International Responses security, linking it to development and the respect the human rights to peace and the abolition of war. of human rights. By distancing themselves from the The Global Article 9 Campaign has attracted a militaristic approach to national defense, Article 9 strong network of individuals and civil society principles embrace a human dimension to security organizations worldwide, from anti-war activists to based on sustainable human development and the nuclear disarmament experts and local fulfillment of basic needs by non-violent means. peacebuilders. In addition to supporting the mainte- nance of Japan’s peace clause, the movement Article 9 as an international peace mechanism strives to spread and extend the principles of The gathering of over 30,000 participants at Article 9 at the global level, as an alternative, as the Global Article 9 Conference to Abolish War in an inspiration and a vision. May 2008, including over 200 international guest Not only should Japan preserve the very speakers and participants from all continents, not existence of Article 9; it should also return to the only reveals an acute interest in the issue, but also original meaning and interpretation of the pacifist highlights the global recognition of Article 9’s clause. Indeed, Article 9 offers a wide range of potential as an international mechanism to promote possibilities for Japan to contribute significantly to global peace and stability. international peace and security. Japan should Indeed, Article 9 stands out as a model that abandon the path of militarization and follow these can be spread and used by the international avenues, working hand in hand with the growing community to build a peaceful and sustainable peace-savvy civil society movement to create a world. In 2005, the Global Partnership for the peaceful, just and sustainable world. Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC)’s Action Agenda declared that “Article 9 of the Japanese Attachment: Global Article 9 Declaration to Constitution has been the foundation for collective Abolish War security for the entire Asia Pacific region.” In Adopted by the participants of the Global Article 9 addition to the recognized role that it plays in Conference to Abolish War, the following declara- conflict prevention, Article 9 and the derivative tion has been endorsed by Nobel Peace Laureates principles enshrined in its spirit could be further Mairead Maguire and Jody Williams, as well as by utilized to promote disarmament for development, the Nobel Women’s Peace Initiative.

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