Historical Dictionary of United States-Japan ... - Bakumatsu Films

DEFENSE • 73
Mutual Security Agreements. On 9 June 1954, two major pieces of
defense-related legislation, the Defense Agency Act and the Self-
Defense Forces Law, were promulgated, and they became effective
on 1 July. Subsequently, the Japanese government established the Defense
Agency, and the Ground Self-Defense Force, the Maritime Self-
Defense Force, and the Air Self-Defense Force were inaugurated.
The Japan–U.S. Security Treaty was revised on 19 January 1960
in order to make the alliance more equal, and it became effective on
23 June 1960. In November 1978, the Guidelines for U.S.–Japan
Defense Cooperation were formulated in order to “create a solid basis
for more effective and credible U.S.–Japan cooperation.” However,
the Japanese government has an official interpretation of Article
Nine that although, as a sovereign nation, Japan has the right of
collective self-defense, Article Nine will not permit the authorization
of the use of this right, nor will it allow the dispatch of the Self-
Defense Forces (SDF) abroad.
The Gulf War in 1991 precipitated a heated debate about appropriate
ways in which Japan can make an international contribution. In
April 1991, after the war was already over, Tokyo decided to send
SDF minesweepers to the Gulf. In June 1992, the Peace-Keeping
Operations (PKO) International Cooperation Law was enacted
and it became possible for the SDF to participate in PKO abroad. On
29 October, the Anti-Terrorism Special Measures Law was enacted
enabling Tokyo to dispatch the SDF abroad during wartime. In November
2001, Tokyo, in fact, dispatched the Maritime Self-Defense
Force to the Indian Ocean. On 6 June 2003, laws on war contingencies
were enacted. On 26 July 2003, special Self-Defense Forces
were dispatched to Iraq.
Even though the ratio of defense spending against Gross Domestic
Product (GDP) is relatively low in global terms, about 1 percent of the
GDP, Japan’s defense budget is the third largest in the world, after the
United States and Russia. For the fiscal year 2006, Japan’s defense
budget was 4,814 billion yen. As of March 2005, there were about
234,000 SDF members comprising about 147,000, 45,000, and 44,000
in the Ground SDF, Air SDF, and Marine SDF, respectively. As of 2004,
there were about 400,00 American servicepersons stationed in Japan, of
which 18,000 members stay in Okinawa. Washington and Tokyo
agreed that 8,000 members would move to Guam from Okinawa. See