An Interview with the Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Defense Jinpu
(Provisional Translation)

-- 2011 was a year in which the activities of the SDF attracted much attention. Please tell us your honest views as a Parliamentary Vice-Minister and a journalist, respectively.

Parliamentary Vice-Minister Hideo Jinpu (Jinpu):
Because my father was an SDF personnel, I feel a curious coincidence in my being in the office of Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Defense. I heard that Ms. Sakurabayashi has specialized in the SDF and defense issues for about 10 years. What impressed you when personally talking to SDF personnel?

Misa Sakurabayashi (Sakurabayashi):
I thought that it is difficult for outsiders to come to know the true situation inside the organization. We know little about the organization's problems or what the individuals working there are thinking. This may be due to the structure of the organization and the stoic aesthetics of its personnel that does not allow them to express their difficulties or complaints.

Jinpu:
SDF personnel are expected to do their best under the conditions presented to them. I take my hat off to their efforts including the recovery and reconstruction activities after the Great East Japan Earthquake. They must have encountered many hardships. I heard from the parents of one SDF personnel that their son, who had gone to the affected areas, added at the end of an e-mail he sent telling them that he was returning home soon, "please don't ask any questions when I return home." The situation must have been too difficult for him to express.

Sakurabayashi:
At first, I intended to refrain from field research lest I should disturb their work, but then I rushed to the field after receiving requests from listeners of my radio program. They wished to hear from SDF personnel who were doing hard work in the disaster areas. I saw with my own eyes how the people affected by the disaster trusted and relied on the SDF, and SDF personnel were working silently without saying anything about their pain.

Jinpu:
They have been sweating silently for the good of the nation and will continue to do so, but the general atmosphere to trust and rely on the SDF is completely different from what my father's generation knew.
By the way, I know that you are well-versed in the defense industry as well and are also active in the Defense Production and Technology Base Research Committee.

Sakurabayashi:
The word "defense industry" carries a dark image but it is so important that its absence would only lessen the capability of the country. High-performance fighters, combat vehicles and submarines involve thousands of small factories. These small businesses would take a toll in terms of budget cuts. I have a sense of crisis not only about our defense foundation but also about the future of Japan's small and medium enterprises. Without its technologies, Japan would not be able to participate in joint development, and, if we are to rely on imports, exporters would bump up the prices, taking unfair advantage. I hope there will be an environment in which we can talk about the defense industry without biases in 2012.

Jinpu:
Certainly, the defense industry is often looked at strangely in Japan. Few people know that we can be proud of our defense industry where small factories have cutting-edge technologies. In 2011, the selection process for the new fighter aircraft (F-X) was conducted. We desire a system to maintain, develop and nurture as many enterprises as possible. I think the selection should be advanced with this in mind.

-- What do you expect from the SDF and the environment surrounding the SDF in 2012?

Sakurabayashi:
I feel that requesting disaster relief from the SDF is becoming something that is being made more easily and casually. Sometimes a request is made without checking the public nature, urgent need and non-substitutability that are the requirements of requesting disaster relief. I'm afraid that there is an increasing dependency mentality of "If something goes wrong, the SDF will help us." I hope that local governments will re-examine this point in 2012. Another thing I expect from politics concerns the issue of the Three Principles on Arms Export. Currently, Japan has certain technologies but there is a danger that they might disappear in one or two years. I hope a new standard will come up as early as possible. I think Japan is now teetering on the brink of losing unique technologies that we can use as effective cards in international negotiations.

Jinpu:
The issues of Futenma Air Station, F-X and the Three Principles on Arms Export mentioned by Ms. Sakurabayashi should be hammered out toward the end of 2011. I hope that their direction will be established and a clear vision will be shown for each of them in 2012.

Sakurabayashi:
I think the top duty of the SDF is day-to-day drills. But this part is rarely reported while people tend to pay more attention to conspicuous parts such as disaster relief and overseas activities. But these activities are made possible by other troops executing routine works with a reduced force on bases. The SDF as a self-contained organization only exists when all of its members work together. I hope they keep up the good work next year.

Jinpu:
Matsushima Air Base was affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake and eighteen F-2 fighters went underwater. At that time, not a few people criticized this by saying, "How did that happen? Why didn't the fighters just take to the skies?" If the fighters are ready to scramble, they can take off in five minutes. However, if they are not, it would take at least one hour for preparing the standing fighters to take off and that would require a minimum of three maintenance workers per fighter.

Sakurabayashi:
They may have been saying this without knowing the situation.

Jinpu:
The SDF itself and how citizens perceive the SDF have changed greatly since the age when my father was in service. The expectations on the SDF are rising further. International cooperation activities marked their 20th year in 2011. The roles expected from the SDF here will become even more sophisticated and diverse in the future.
I hope that SDF personnel will continue to conduct activities that fulfill the expectations of the people and at the same time I ask the people to give their support to the SDF.

interviewer : Y.Watanabe
photograph : T.Arai
(transferred from "MAMOR" March, 2012 issue)