Photo/Illutration Shigeru Ishiba, a candidate in the Liberal Democratic Party’s presidential election, talks about his policies at a news conference on Sept. 10. (Takeshi Iwashita)

Shigeru Ishiba, a candidate in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s presidential election, expressed his desire to create an “Asian version of NATO” and bring equality to the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement.

Ishiba, 67, a former LDP secretary-general and defense minister, announced his policies at a news conference on Sept. 10.

He is running for LDP president for a fifth time. He said changes in the security environment were the reason he announced his candidacy this time.

Ishiba mentioned an Asian version of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization while discussing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“Ukraine is not a member of NATO. It is not hard to imagine that this prompted President (Vladimir) Putin’s decision,” he said, stressing the need to build a collective security system in Asia.

He also announced he would consider revising SOFA, which stipulates the rules for U.S. military operations in Japan.

The agreement was concluded when the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty was revised in 1960 and has remained unchanged.

Many in Japan have called SOFA “unequal,” particularly when it comes to accidents and crimes involving U.S. military personnel.

Ishiba said that as LDP president, and thus prime minister, he would seek to establish a base in the United States to train Japan’s Self-Defense Forces.

He then argued that SOFA should be at the same level as an agreement that would be established upon the creation of such an SDF base in the United States.

“If we are going to revise SOFA, it has to be something that will strengthen the alliance and improve the regional security environment,” Ishiba said.

(This article was written by Naoki Matsuyama and Yuta Ogi.)

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