Japan shapes military force to tackle emerging threats.

• Author: Tiron, Roxana

Japan is reshaping its military forces as it attempts to tackle a perceived nuclear threat from North Korea and strengthen its role in multinational peacekeeping operations, Japanese officials told National Defense.

Japan's Parliament recently passed a series of war contingency bills that give the government significantly increased powers in case of military emergencies. After two years of debate, the contingency laws were sparked by Japan's concern over a ballistic missile attack by North Korea.

Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom are "a great trigger" to change public opinion about the role of the Japanese defense forces, said Col. Takeo Yamaoka, Japan's military attache and the representative of the Ground Self Defense Force in Washington, D.C. He said that public perception has been changing gradually since the first Gulf War, when Japan paid a lot of money to conduct "checkbook diplomacy." The public noticed that, he said.

After the Gulf War, Japan stood up peacekeeping forces that have contributed to missions around the world. After 9/11, Japan passed special laws to support OEF and later OIF. The public supported those laws, Yamaoka said. "Most of the Japanese people understand that we have to change the constitution."

After World War II, a new constitution, written by occupying U.S. forces, permitted a nominal self-defense force that eventually branched out into the Ground-, Maritime- and Air Self Defense Forces.

Transforming into a more reactive force will take lots of time and money, said Yamaoka.

The JSDF has a budget of almost $32 billion. Even though Japan is known to have one of the most richly financed and technologically advanced militaries--falling third behind the United States and United Kingdom--the current economic depression has forced the government to reassess priorities, Yamaoka said.

Ballistic missile defense tops the list, but acquiring systems such as the Patriot PAC-3 for the Air Self Defense Forces and the SM-3 Standard missile for Japan's current Aegis ships will cost several billion dollars, said Yamaoka.

Japan has a total of six Aegis ships, but it is uncertain how many would be equipped with the SM-3. Nevertheless, Japan has decided to invest and move SM-3 research into the development stage, cooperating with the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, said Yamaoka.

He said that Japan either will buy the two systems from the United States or license the technology. While the brunt of the missile defense...