Japan mulls law to allow SDF to assist EU troops

Japan is mulling the idea of allowing its Self-Defence Forces (SDF) to be deployed to assist international missions of European Union (EU) troops, media reported on Wednesday, citing an unnamed government source.

For Japan's SDF to join international missions of EU troops, the government first plans to enact a permanent law allowing the SDF to be dispatched overseas without Diet approval and legislation on a case-by-case basis, Xinhua news agency reported.

The parameters of working with EU troops on international peace and cooperation missions are different from those allowing SDF personnel to join UN-led peacekeeping missions overseas, those with knowledge of the matter said.

The latest move by Japan comes at a time when Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his cabinet have been busying themselves with the steps necessary to enact a permanent law to boost the scope of the SDF's permissible duties in overseas operations, with an eye on normalising Japan's military, which runs contrary to the nation's pacifist constitution and the majority will of the public.

Abe's administration, the general public aside who stand opposed to Japan's military recasting, is also facing resistance from its coalition Komeito ally, as well as other countries in the Asia-Pacific region, who believe Japan should adhere to its time-tested pacifist constitution.

Up until now, Japan has dispatched troops overseas in non-combative and humanitarian roles to assist the US for example, by providing refuelling logistics and heading up restoration and construction projects in areas such as Afghanistan, but each mission requires special legislation and the Diet's approval.

Abe is hoping to ditch this system, in favour of a permanent law, so Japanese troops can be sent overseas without each case having to be deliberated over in parliament, meaning a faster deployment, as envisioned in the prime minister's broader plan for the nation to be a more "proactive supporter of global peace".

"With the ruling coalition parties' talks on security moving forward, we will study how far the SDF can be involved in the EU troops' missions," the Kyodo News Agency quoted its source as saying.

Japan and the EU may also discuss ways in which their forces can share supplies and transportation in operations that fall within the EU's Common Security and Defence Policy framework.

With the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II being observed this year, a number of prominent Japan-based political pundits and defence analysts have suggested that Japan's current military course be rethought and its war-renouncing charter followed for the good of peace and stability in the region and to regain the trust of other powers in the region.