Among those surprised by the drug-abuse scandal at the Maritime Self-Defense Force, the MSDF itself may be the most.

"The police were way ahead of us," said a senior MSDF official. "We are having a hard time just keeping up with the facts of what happened."

The arrests of six MSDF personnel since July 17 on violation of the Cannabis Control Law has pointed up the force's lack of compulsory drug-testing, a standard measure in the U.S. Navy since 1982.

Yet, although many insist the ever-widening scandal shows that random drug-testing is long overdue, many MSDF officials remain reluctant to take the step.

"Privacy must be respected, even among MSDF members," said an officer who once commanded a destroyer.

But those familiar with the SDF say the truth goes deeper.

"The reason the SDF respects the privacy of its personnel is because it has a hard time recruiting them," said Kensuke Ebata, a commentator on military issues.

The fact is, with many ships unable to fill crew quotas, some are arguing that a more hard-line, less-private MSDF with strict drug-testing regulations would not be able to find enough personnel to steer its vessels, period.

Of the arrests made so far, all but one were by prefectural police. Only the last, on Sept. 28, was an MSDF operation, in this case by its shore police unit.

The arrests have ranged from one MSDF member suspected of possessing Ecstasy in August ( who was later released without indictment ), to submarine crew members based at Yokosuka suspected of possession or trafficking of marijuana in violation of the Cannabis Control Law.

Yet the force has never conducted random drug tests.

There is some limited drug testing within the ground, maritime and air divisions of the SDF. Urine tests began in July 2002, following arrests in 2001 for stimulant use of an MSDF member stationed in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, and a communications member of the Yokosuka force.

But the limited drug tests, conducted on new recruits and new students at the National Defense Academy, are by consent.

Of the 800 mostly submarine crew personnel the Maritime Staff Office has tested since this summer's arrests, all have been with the individuals' consent.

The office has set up a special investigation team since the arrests. But Defense Agency officials say that for mandatory, random tests on SDF members already serving, they would need new legal measures.

And they say the privacy issue must be addressed.

"It's difficult to investigate ( MSDF members' ) personal lives," said the former destroyer commander.

He said consent is required to search individual lockers aboard ships, and remains adverse to the idea of a compulsory search of private possessions for illegal substances.

But Ebata, who supports compulsory testing, points to the staffing problem.

"As things stand, some MSDF ships cannot fill their crew quotas because few people want to become ship crew, which involves being away from home a lot," he said. "If urine tests become compulsory, members would likely back away even more from ship duty."

Yet drug testing is not a novel concept among military forces. The U.S. Navy introduced urine tests for all new recruits over 20 years ago, in 1982.

All serving personnel, from sailors to officers, are subjected to surprise tests. Computers select crew at random, who are immediately escorted to the test area and are required to produce urine samples in the presence of military police or other officers.

Not that it stops U.S. Navy personnel from trying to pull the wool over their superiors' eyes from time to time.

Last year, 19 crew members on the cruiser USS Vincennes stationed at Yokosuka Naval Base were caught for drug use after trying to pass off other crew members' urine samples as their own, or for using a neutralizing agent they bought via the Internet.

The Navy's Seventh Fleet in Yokosuka now punishes its personnel just for possessing substances that manipulate drug tests.

Those caught in drug cases face a dishonorable or bad-conduct discharge. It is entered in their veteran records and affects their future search for employment. They are ineligible for scholarships, pensions and other veteran benefits.

In 1982, 7.21 percent of randomly selected Navy personnel tested positive for drugs. But due in part to the new testing regulations the percentage dropped below the 1-percent mark in the early 1990s. And between October 2004 and April 2005, the Navy says, fewer than 0.3 percent of its personnel have tested positive.

URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n1604/a06.html
Newshawk: Beth
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Pubdate: Mon, 10 Oct 2005
Source: Asahi Shimbun (Japan)
Copyright: 2005 Asahi Shimbun
Contact: newsroom@emb.asahi-np.co.jp
Website: http://www.asahi.com/english/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3626
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