Photo/Illutration Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at a news conference held at the prime minister’s office on Oct. 1 after forming his Cabinet (The Asahi Shimbun)

Some of newly elected Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s security policy ideas have deeply disturbing implications.

Ishiba has floated the idea of creating an Asian version of NATO as a way to deter China.

He has also indicated the possibility of nuclear weapon sharing with the United States and the introduction of nuclear weapons into the region to establish a deterrence against the nuclear capabilities of China, Russia and North Korea.

If Ishiba sticks to his “personal opinion” without considering the constraints of the pacifist Constitution, national consensus or regional realities, his security policy agenda could instead increase regional tensions and threaten national security.

The new prime minister must remember that he is no longer merely a rank-and-file member of the Diet.

At the inauguration news conference on Oct. 1, while stating that he had not issued any specific instructions concerning the Asian NATO initiative, Ishiba nevertheless expressed a desire to accelerate the efforts of those who share the awareness of the issue.

Just before being elected as the leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, Ishiba contributed an article to the prominent U.S. think tank, the Hudson Institute.

In the article, he proposed, in addition to the creation of an Asian version of NATO, revisions to the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty and the bilateral Status of Forces Agreement to make the Japan-U.S. alliance one between equal partners.

He also called for allowing the Self-Defense Forces to be stationed in Guam.

His statements at the inauguration news conference suggest that his views concerning these issues have largely remained unchanged even after becoming prime minister.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was created during the Cold War by Western nations to counter the “common threat” of the Soviet Union.

It is difficult to imagine a similar framework being established in Asia, which has a completely different geographical and historical background.

It is totally unrealistic to think that Asian nations will unite against China as a common threat, given their deep and extensive economic ties with China.

The United States is also aware of Asia’s unique circumstances, which is why it has taken a different approach to security challenges in Asia from its strategy for Europe.

Domestically, Japan could not participate in an Asian NATO unless its right to collective self-defense is fully recognized without reservation. 

Remember that even the partial recognition of Japan’s right to collective self-defense forced by the administration of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe caused a bitter division in national opinion.

The sharing and introduction of nuclear weapons contravene the “three non-nuclear principles” Japan has upheld as the only nation to have suffered from atomic bombings.

The situation is not such that the Ishiba administration can gain the public’s “understanding and sympathy” for these ideas--a political nonstarter from the viewpoint of this slogan of the Ishiba Cabinet.

Asahi Shimbun editorials have repeatedly advocated for a review of the Status of Forces Agreement that grants various privileges to U.S. forces in Japan.

Ishiba expressed his ambition to pursue this initiative in the news conference, stating that he does not think that proposing a revision to the agreement, which defines the legal status of U.S. military personnel stationed in Japan, would cause concerns about the Japan-U.S. alliance.

It remains to be seen whether the government’s previously consistent negative stance on seeking changes in the agreement will truly change.

Ishiba seems to prioritize building an equal Japan-U.S. relationship as independent sovereign nations as the purpose of his initiative to rewrite the accord.

However, the priority should first be placed on improving the unjust circumstances faced by local communities and residents around the U.S. military bases in Japan, including those in Okinawa Prefecture.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Oct. 3

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