Arab News Japan

TOKYO: The Japanese government’s plans to significantly boost defense spending and alter longstanding policies have come under fire from the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party.

The party’s president IZUMI Kenta responded to the government’s “National Security Strategy” announced by Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio by declaring, “Without any specific explanation from the government or discussions in the Diet or national agreement, the Constitutional Democratic Party cannot accept the government’s outlined ‘counterattack ability’ and ‘2% of GDP for defense expenditure,’ which will greatly change the defense policy.”

Izumi said the policy change to allow “counterattack ability” might be misinterpreted as a form of pre-emptive attack on the territory of another country.

“If that changes the relationship between the shield and spear of the Japan-U.S. Alliance, it may deviate from counterattack defense,” he said. 

While acknowledging a need to increase defense spending, Izumi said the government’s plan to double spending over five years “lacks rationality.” He added: “It is out of question to decide such a significant increase without explanation or discussion in the Diet.”

“The government documents are “a major change in security policy,’ as Prime Minister Kishida himself said, and in order to decide about such a document, it is absolutely necessary to explain and argue with the people and their representative Diet.”