 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Pacifist Japan Puts Troops Under Unified Command
Tokyo (AFP) Mar 28, 2006 Japan placed its ground, air and sea forces under a new integrated chain of command Monday, hoping to improve efficiency in the face of threats from North Korea and terrorism. In a major change, the Self-Defense Force, which was set up in 1954 after a defeated Japan was forced to renounce war, abolished the separate commands for each service. "Under the new system, the head of the three arms will directly serve the defense chief so that the chief can operate efficiently in a shorter time," said a spokesman for the Defense Agency. "There is of course no change in the principle of civilian control," he added. The Japanese government decided to streamline the chain of command faced with growing security concerns. Communist North Korea, which is in a standoff over its nuclear ambitions, in 1998 fired a missile over Japan into the Pacific Ocean. The new chain of command sets up a 500-member joint staff office, which will also service as a liaison to US forces in Japan. "As the US force has a similar structure of an integrated chain of command, our new system is good for the two allies' partnership," said the spokesman. The United States has some 40,000 troops in Japan under a security alliance formed after World War II. The two countries are negotiating a realignment plan that would pull out 8,000 troops in response to local concerns, although talks have stalled over the cost. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party has proposed the first-ever revision of the US-imposed 1947 constitution that would state explicitly that Japan has a military, although the country would remain pacifist. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has also supported giving the Defense Agency the status of a ministry, putting its chief on the cabinet, although he backtracked on the plan after a bid-rigging scandal among agency employees.
Source: Agence France-Presse Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links Japan Defense Agency
Japan Says Managing Crisis With China Critical
Washington (AFP) Feb 13, 2006Japan said Monday that managing its deteriorating ties with China had become critical amid warnings of a potential military conflict between the neighbours that could drag in the United States. |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2006 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA PortalReports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additionalcopyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
