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Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its small ruling partner the New Komeito Party are at odds on a government proposal issued Tuesday that seeks to allow the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) to support Japan's allies in combat zone.
The New Komeito Party criticized the proposal which eyes lifting Japan's self-imposed ban on exercising collective self- defense rights and remains cautious on achieving the goal through reinterpreting the country's pacifist constitution.
The government proposed in a meeting with the ruling bloc that the SDF can provide assistance to Japan's allies in four conditions, for instance, to enable the SDF to support U.S. forces in the case of an emergency on the Korean Peninsula and to assist multinational peacekeeping forces based on U.N. resolutions, according to local report.
If accepted, Japan could provide supplies and services to its allies involved in combat on the battlefield, said Japan's Kyodo News.
The SDF "will get to do anything except combat in a war zone," a senior New Komeito official was quoted as saying.
Under Japan's current legal framework, the country's support activities are limited to areas outside a combat zone and its constitution bans Japan from not only using force but also being involved in the use of force by other countries when the SDF join multinational peacekeeping operations.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is keen to change the interpretation of the constitution so as to exercising the collective defense rights as it is difficult to revise the supreme law currently, but his attempt has been accused by the New Komeito as goes contrary to legislative process.
