Komeito Dragging Its Feet on Defense Reform Law

JGSDF troops arrive in South Sudan in January 2012.  (Kyodo)

However, Komeito is wary about enacting a permanent law out of fear that SDF personnel may be dispatched abroad even in cases that have nothing to do with defending Japan. 

In October, Shigeki Sato, who heads the party’s panel on diplomacy and security, said establishing a permanent law is not “the highest priority.” 

Japan’s new security policy, adopted July 1 by the Cabinet to enable to exercise of the right to collective self-defense, expands the SDF’s logistical support for foreign troops.
Under the policy, dispatching the SDF for missions such as refueling to areas where combat is not taking place would not constitute integration into the use of force by other countries.

(Japan Times)