It is deplorable that the Abe administration decided to provide rifle ammunition to South Korean troops engaged in U.N. peacekeeping operations in South Sudan without any open discussions of the matter. This will be the first time that Japan has provided ammunition to foreign troops or to the United Nations. The Defense Ministry has explained that refugees were seeking shelter at U.N. facilities that were guarded by South Korean troops in Jonglei State, South Sudan, and that an armed group was approaching.
The Abe administration ignored the Diet in making this important decision — a fact that lawmakers would be wise to reflect upon. The Abe administration's decision this time can be viewed as an attempt to establish a fait accompli breach of Japan's long-standing weapons-export ban, which is aimed at precluding the chance of Japanese weapons being used in conflicts abroad.
The decision was made Monday in a National Security Council meeting of the prime minister, the chief Cabinet secretary, the foreign minister and the defense minister. Abe then got the approval of each Cabinet member. Because the flawed law establishing the National Security Council does not require the NSC to keep minutes of its discussions, it's uncertain whether a record was made of what was actually discussed.