world THE BATTALION Page H WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1980 fapan’s no-armament constitution jrouses unrest as threats grow can talk ay dead.” es on. "$; t was, I sup^ tiat Model i; Had to :s. Really dit; United Press International I TOKYO — Japan, constitutionally was when prohibited from maintaining an a from Evain^*y ) n avy or air force, is in the mid- >m the bi: jig 0 f a storm over the nation’s de- 1978. Hi f ense policy. ion untilhjjigju.S. Defense Secretary Harold the winter Brown’s recent call for “combined iave bougli planning efforts among the United States, Japan and Western Europe to ableto m er°“ nter ! )al ? , ? ce , the Sovi , et global m y motherfF tar y buildup has provoked a flur- ■nts my ay attacks by opposition leaders in mericansJ 6 Diet (parliament). ,ht forever, ^hbough the current controversy ras prompted by Washington, the perennial debate over defense is feeply rooted in the Japanese post- n ^ar psychology. Since defeat in (Vorld War II, the nation has failed Breach a consensus on how best to Jefend itself. a ||while the Soviets are rolling tanks n Afghanistan and building militari- wiear Japan’s northern borders, •ritish urge ifghanistan politicians are still debating the leg ality of the country’s so-called self- defense forces, Japan’s armed forces in everything but name. Like all his predecessors in the Liberal-Democratic Party which has been in power for most of the post- war period, Prime Minister Masayoshi Ohira maintains that the Japan-U.S. security pact — in effect since 1952 — forms the backbone of the nation’s security and fills what the Defense Agency calls “gaps” in the country’s defense capability. And the gaps seem enormous. In crude numbers alone, Japanese defense intelligence figures that the Soviet Union — the only major pow er without a peace treaty with the Japanese — has deployed some 300,000 ground troops, over 1.3 mil lion tons of naval ships and 2,040 warplanes in the Soviet Par East. This compares with Japan’s first- line defense of 155,000 ground troops, 174,000 tons of warships and 440 aircraft. In terms of quality, the Japanese defense is also far behind in most crucial areas. Recently the Japanese Defense Agency said the Soviet Union has upgraded its air power in the Far East with deployment of supersonic and low-flying Mig-27 fighter bom bers, which reportedly have a range encompassing all the Japanese Is lands. On naval warfare, the Soviet Far East naval command is equipped with the powerful Kiev-class aircraft carrier Minsk, while the Japanese admirals have to be content with what one local newspaper call the navy’s pride — a couple of missile firing destroyers and other lesser vessels. Against Moscow’s awesome nuc lear arsenal, Tokyo simply has to seek shelter under the American J7 leutrality WHO'S AFRAlb OF THE EI&, liAl) RUSSIAN) BEAR? Cwe- aF-e^) United Press International |lOME — British Foreign Secret- Lord Carrington proposed to his uppean Economic Community ners Tuesday that Afghanistan’s leutrality should be internationally |uaranteed if Soviet troops move t That neutrality must be accept- ible to the Soviets as well as the rest ®the world, said a spokesman for he nine-nation community said. ‘There was a consensus among the misters that the British proposal vas a good idea and discussion of it is ffitinuing,” said Roger Beetham, a 1 pokesman for community commis- iop President Boy Jenkins, of its usual Iie Asked if Carrington was proposing U N. force to guarantee neutrality iave been untfl Afghanistan, Beetham said, “They ;hifts in kev aven’t got to that yet. The Danish efegation said the idea should be commentspehanneled through the United Na- A. >3r liness. ions but the subject of troops would iave to be raised at a later meeting. ” Beetham also was asked if Washington would have to guaran- ; it would not go into Afghanistan if Soviets pulled out. “That is bething to be discussed,” he re- id. Beetham said Jenkins had reiter ated the community statement of Jan. 15 that the Soviets must not be allowed to leave a Communist reg ime behind them. U.S. Secretary of State Cyrus ;c ical um ?nts iharpl cas lator ng on MONDAY EVENING SPECIAL Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy Whipped Potatoes Your Choice of One Vegetable Roll or Corn Bread and Butter Coffee or Tea y Fund /leans K ry 20 :06MSC n: FREE THURSDAY EVENING SPECIAL Italian Candle Light Spaghetti Dinner SERVED WITH SPICED MEAT BALLS AND SAUCE Parmesan Cheese - Tossed Green Salad Choice of Salad Dressing - Hot Garlic Bread Tea or Coffee EVERV DRV 18 SfllE DRV Id THE CLASSIFIEDS j 845-2611 nuclear umbrella. While internationally acknow ledged to have the technological know-how to join the world’s exclu sive nuclear club, most Japanese — the world’s only war victims of the atom bomb — are still adverse to the possession of any form of nuclear weapons. Japan has officially counted itself out of the nuclear game by adhering to the nuclear nonproliferation treaty. Tokyo’s passive reaction to repe ated U.S. calls to arms is very much the result of historical irony. Mindful of a possible revival of pre-war militarism, the U.S. occupa tion authorities dictated the unique war-renouncing constitution on the conquered nation. Article 9 provides that the country “renounces war as a sovereign right of the nation,” and declares that “land, sea, and air forces will never be maintained.” Holding the constitution as a sacred document of Japan’s demo cracy, most politicians — particular ly those to the left of the political spectrum — have resisted any effort to rewrite it. Pacifist groups and the vocal left still see militarism a living spectre, and the suggestion last year by the country’s top general that the milit ary might be forced to take “supra- legal” action in time of a foreign inva sion provoked a national outcry and led to the general’s resignation. Under such fierce opposition, the government has been forced to hold down defense spending and has budgeted $9.3 billion, just 0.9 per cent of the G N P — the lowest ratio in all major industrial powers — for the next fiscal year. With politicians still sharply di vided on national defense, the possi bility of Japan playing any significant role in the defense of the western world seems remote. ■Almanac United Press International Today is Wednesday, Feb. 20, the 51st day of 1980 with 315 to follow. Today is Ash Wednesday. The moon is moving toward its first quarter. The morning stars are Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. The evening stars are Mercury and Venus. Those born on this day are under the sign of Pisces. On this date in history: In 1809, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the power of the federal government was no greater than that of any individual state of the Union. In 1938, Anthony Eden resigned as British foreign secretary to protest the “appeasement” policy of Prime Minister Neville Chamber- lain toward Nazi Germany. In 1962, American astronaut John Glenn landed safely after three torbits of the earth in a spacecraft. In 1976, former President Richard Nixon and his wife left California for a private visit to China. A thought for the day: At the battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775 American Revolutionary War hero William Prescott said, “Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes.” Olney pancakes stack up; default win to Kansan United Press International OLNEY, England — A television truck blocked the finish line in the Great TransAtlantic Pancake Race Tuesday, producing a pile-up of thwarted flapjack-flipping women and forcing officials to declare two winners. But no winning time was given because no one could cross the finish line. At least one race official said it looked like the ladies of Olney must default to their competition in Liber al, Kan., a few hours later. “Th girls were not able to finish the race properly,” said the Rev. Ronald Collins, Anglican vicar of Olney Church. “Nor could I take the time. Asked how it would affect the trans-Atlantic competition with Li beral, he replied, “It seems to me, we have to give it to them this year. Obviously we just have to renounce any chance of winning this year.” Vance left Washington Tuesday on a tour of Bonn, Rome, Paris and Lon don. He arrives in Rome today to meet Italian Foreign Minister Attilio Ruffini, who will report the present meeting’s decisions to him. Now Better Than Ever. You Will Be Pleased With These Carefully Prepared and Taste Tempting Foods. Each Daily Special Only $1.99 Plus Tax. “Open Daily” Dining: 11 A.M. to 1:30 P.M. — 4:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. TUESDAY EVENING SPECIAL WEDNESDAY Mexican Fiesta EVENING SPECIAL Dinner Two Cheese and Chicken Fried Steak Onion Enchiladas w/cream Gravy w/chili Whipped Potatoes and Mexican Rice Choice of one other Patio Style Pinto Beans Vegetable Tostadas Roll or Corn Bread and Butter Coffee or Tea Coffee or Tea One Corn Bread and Butter BILL’S AND JAY’S AUTO TUNE UP all cars $Q “TC plus 57. f O PARTS Oil change filter 0 !on. $4.00 Tune up & oil change $12.75 By appointment only 846-9086 3611 South College Ave. PLUS OIL & PARTS NOTICE: Effective Feb. 25,1980 the security lockers that are located in the entry area on both levels of the Texas A&M Bookstore will be cleaned out each day at 5:00 p.m. All articles removed may be claimed at the main office of the book store. There will be a $2.00 charge. bookstore E MEMORIAL STUDENT C OFF ANY 2 ITEM 14" CHANELLO’S PIZZA