Moscow withholds comments on Japan plan to go back on constitutional pacifism
MOSCOW. July 7 (Interfax) - Moscow said on Monday it would avoid making "hasty assessments" of a Japanese bill to lift constitutional self-restrictions on Japan's military activities, Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Monday.
On July 1, the Japanese Cabinet approved a draft law to revise Article 9 of the constitution, whose official English translation says, in part, that "the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes," and that "land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained," and "the right of belligerency of the state will not be recognized."
The planned revised version of the article would allow Japan to use its Self-Defense Force abroad if any of the country's allies is under attack and provide troops for international peacekeeping operations.
"We would not like to make hasty assessments of the right to collective self-defense as declared by the Japanese government. Everything will depend on its further practical moves," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said in a statement.
"We will closely follow the activities of the Cabinet of [Prime Minister] Shinzo Abe, including in light of the 'active pacifism' principle announced by him in December 2014. Japan should realize that security is a sensitive issue for its regional neighbors, which expect Tokyo to pursue a peace-loving foreign policy, show restraint in matters of military activity, fully recognize the results of World War II, and prevent attempts to whitewash the crimes of Japanese militarism," Lukashevich said.
