Editorial:

Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies (APCSS) professer Dr. Jeffrey Hornung  co-authored an editorial entitled “Ten Myths About Japan’s Collective Self-Defense Change,” which was released July 10 in The Diplomat.

Summary:

On July 1, the Japanese Cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe approved a proposal to reinterpret Japan’s constitution to end the ban on allowing its military forces to exercise the right of collective self-defense (CSD). The move widens the set of options available to Japan’s military, called the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) which, in turn, has sparked opposition from both domestic and international sources. Much of this opposition, however, fails to appreciate the nuance to the change and therefore, what the change actually engenders. Instead, critics of CSD are basing their opposition on myths about the change. The ten most egregious are debunked below.

To read the full editorial go to http://thediplomat.com/2014/07/ten-myths-about-japans-collective-self-defense-change/

The views in this article are those of the author and is not necessarily the view of the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, U.S. Pacific Command or the U.S. Government.

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