CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY (Grant Newsham) - The postwar Japan Constitution: a ‘get out of jail free’ card
Originally published by Japan Forward
Before Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi met President Donald Trump in Washington a couple of weeks ago, the Japanese fretted that Trump would ask Japan to send the Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF) to the Persian Gulf – even just a few ships or aircraft. Anyone who has dealt with Japanese officialdom for any length of time can imagine the teeth-sucking followed by an anguished “too hard.” Takaichi said beforehand that she would explain to “Donald” the limitations on what Japan could do. Implicitly, these are “constitutional” limitations – set by the Japanese constitution , which was, in fact, drafted by the Americans after World War II. The Takaichi-Trump meeting proved to be pure bonhomie, and the “JSDF to the Gulf”…Open