The Japanese government approved a new edition of its key defense document which features more proactive use of force and deeper involvement of the self-defense-oriented troops in international affairs, evoking concerns over the authority of its war-renouncing constitution.

Along with the revised National Defense Program Outline which maps out its defense policies for the next 10 years, Japan also issued the midterm defense buildup program, detailing the SDF equipment and personnel formation plans in the five years to come.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda on the same day announced a relaxation of Japan's ban on arms export, which will enable Japan to export missile parts to the United States to facilitate joint researches on ballistic missile defense systems.

The outline, dating back to 1976, stipulates Japan's basic defense policies. It was revised in 1995 following the end of the Cold War.

In the latest version, Japan calls on swifter and effective response to new threats and diverse situations, including ballistic missile attacks, guerrilla wars, invasion of small outlying islands, intrusions of armed spy ships, and massive disasters.

To that end, the new outline curtailed the possession of heavy equipment, such as main-battle tanks, destroyers, jet fighters as well as ground troops. At the same time, it set up special quick reaction units among troops and enhanced the ability of gathering information and projecting troops in a faster and further manner.

Under the new document, the number of Ground Self-Defense Force personnel will be cut to 155,000 from 160,000.

The Defense Agency and the Finance Ministry had been at odds inthe amount equipment and the scale of the ground troops. They reached an eleventh-hour agreement Wednesday night on the number of ground troops, clearing the last hindrance for the birth of thefresh outline.

The new midterm defense buildup program put the defense budget for the next five fiscal years at about 24.24 trillion yen (233 billion US dollars), down from the previous 25.16 trillion yen (241 billion dollars).

Reflecting its long-standing ambition to have the SDF play a role in a more far-flung scope, the outline said Japan will actively take part in international peacekeeping activities.

Given Japan's aggression in the World War II, it's war-renouncing constitution bans using force to international disputes.The basic law also denies the right of belligerency of the state.

Japan, however, has been rolling out legislation to circumvent the barrier to make the SDF play a freer and expanded role. The SDF's minesweepers were sent to the Arabian Sea after the first Gulf War in 1991, signaling the first offshore operation for the defense-oriented force. In the following years, the SDF went to more places by taking part in UN peacekeeping efforts.

Japan stressed in the outline that the Japan-US alliance must be strengthened. In the statement on arms export, Hosoda said Japan will exclude from its ban the arms parts related to missile defense when the ongoing joint research moves to the development and production stages.

In the case of arms exports related to other joint projects with the United States and contributions for international antiterrorism operations, the government will decide on a case-to-case basis, the statement says.

Japan currently imposes a comprehensive ban on arms export.

The outline will be reviewed in five years or when a major change in security situations occurs. The midterm buildup plan is to be revised in three years or in the case of a revision of the policy guideline.

Source: Xinhua