Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, after receiving a report from his private advisory panel on national security legislation on May 15, appealed to the public by insisting that the government's long-standing interpretation of Article 9 of the Constitution needs to be changed to allow Japan to exercise the right to collective self-defense. From the viewpoint of both constitutional theories and national security perspectives, Abe's arguments are either irrational or empty.
For more than half a century, the government has interpreted the Constitution to mean that Japan can use force solely to defend itself against foreign invasion. This established interpretation is widely recognized both at home and in the international community. The Self-Defense Forces do possess powerful military capabilities, but the understanding that Japan would not use the capabilities to attack other countries has been one of the foundations of regional order in Asia.
Enabling the SDF to take part in conflicts between other countries amounts to effectively revising Article 9. A Cabinet should not carry out such a revision merely by reinterpreting the Constitution. If such an attempt is allowed to be pushed through, Japan will no longer be a country governed under the rule of law but a country ruled by the whim of government leaders.