Blair’s speech was followed by a panel
discussion. Along with the above three ex-leaders and Dr.Handa, former Minister
of Foreign Affairs Masahiko Komura, Kenichi Ito, President of The Japan Forun
on International Relations, Hiroshi Hirabayashi, President of the Council on
East Asian Community, Kurt Campbell, former Assistant Secretary of State for
East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Ralph Cossa, Pacific Forum Center for Strategic
and International Studies President (CSIS), Irish Ambassador to Denmark Brendan
Scannell and Hisham Badr, Assistant Foreign Minister for International Institutions
and Organizations of Egypt, joined the discussion.
In the discussion, Komura claimed the
importance of collective self-defense. This was in response to what Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe’s administration decided on July 1. The decision was to the effect that
the government could exercise collective self-defense by altering its interpretation
of the Constitution’s Article 9, which renounces war forever. This changeover
means Japan can now defend its allies even if Japan itself is not under attack.
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| From left, former Philippine President Fidel Valdez Ramos, former Australian Prime Minister John Howard, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Dr.Handa pose at the summit. WSD |
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