The United States has urged Japan to reinterpret its pacifist constitution so that its Self-Defense Forces can take on more global security responsibilities. Agence France-Presse reported January 14:

Japan should play a greater role in global security, including reinterpreting its pacifist constitution to allow it to defend an ally if attacked, the outgoing U.S. ambassador said Wednesday.Thomas Schieffer, wrapping up his tenure in Tokyo as U.S. President-elect Barack Obama prepares to take over the U.S. administration, said a “redefinition would be appropriate” of the post-World War ii U.S.-Japan security alliance.”I think we ought to talk about it and we ought to try to understand where we want the alliance to go in the years ahead. I think America would welcome an alliance of equals, and I think Japan would too,” he told a news conference.”But an alliance of equals is one that has equal responsibilities and equal shares in the future,” Schieffer said. “I think Japan can speak with a louder voice in international affairs.” …If a Japanese destroyer failed to eliminate a missile launched from Asia on the basis that it was headed for the U.S., “I think the American people would find that very difficult to understand the value of the alliance with Japan.”

The fact that Japan’s post-World War ii constitution bars it from maintaining land, sea and air forces of any kind has not stopped the nation from building what is widely considered the fourth-most-powerful military in the world. This military force has been built with American approval under the pretext that it is a “civilian” self-defense force. Now, the U.S. is urging Japan to reinterpret its constitution even further so that it can become a stronger ally against authoritarian regimes like China and North Korea.

The fact of the matter is, however, that Japan no longer regards its East Asian neighbors as enemies. Last February, Japan’s chief of the Joint Staff Office of the Self-Defense Forces, Takashi Saito, met with China’s Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan in Beijing; the two military leaders agreed to enhance military cooperation between their two countries. With its own state-of-the-art defense force and its growing military alliance with China, Japan is swiftly approaching the point where it no longer needs America as a military partner. In the future, it will cooperate with its East Asian neighbors instead. By exhorting Japan to increase its military spending, the U.S. is ultimately strengthening, not countering, its East Asian rivals.

For more information on Japan’s changing loyalties, read “A Military Love Triangle: America, China and Japan.”