Japan's Parliament Approves Increased Military Role for the Country

After deliberations and despite the departure of opposing representatives from the session, the lower house of Japan's parliament approved laws related to increasing the military role of the country. According to the Associated Press, this bill was passed on July 16, just one day after the ruling party faction led by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe approved its draft in one of the parliamentary committees and brought it to the floor. On Thursday, hundreds of protesters opposed to the bill gathered outside the parliament building, chanting against war and Shinzo Abe. One of their placards read, 'Vote no to the war bill.' The report indicates that Shinzo Abe has long intended to remove the restrictions set forth in Japan's constitution, which was drafted under American supervision after World War II. The Japanese Prime Minister claims that to counter the increasing military presence of China in the region, to participate in international peacekeeping missions, and to prepare against new threats like terrorism, Japan's military power and role must be increased. After the passage of this new bill, Shinzo Abe told reporters, 'The approval of this bill is absolutely necessary for the protection of the lives of the Japanese people and to avoid the danger of war. The security environment surrounding Japan has become more difficult.' However, opponents argue that the approval of this new law will create more dangers for Japan and is a violation of the country's constitution, which explicitly rejects war as a right of the state and the use of military force to resolve international disputes in Article 9. The report states that after the speeches of opposition party leaders, the opposing representatives left the parliamentary session. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party, led by Shinzo Abe, and its coalition partner were able to easily secure two-thirds of the total 475 votes in the lower house of parliament for the approval of this bill, despite the boycott of the vote by opposing representatives. The approval of this new bill allows Japan's armed forces to engage in war to defend allied countries like the United States, even if Japan itself is not attacked. Opponents say that the conditions set for Japan's military intervention are very vague, and this ambiguity will allow the government to interpret them in favor of its policies. They also describe the ruling party's method of conducting a forced vote on this bill as 'the tyranny of the majority.' Polls show that about 80% of the Japanese public opposes this bill and considers it a violation of the country's constitution. Shinzo Abe knew that he lacked public support to change the relevant article in the constitution, and for this reason, he provided a new interpretation of the constitutional article that explicitly rejects Japan's involvement in war and based his proposed bill on this new interpretation. The Japanese Prime Minister admitted on Thursday that this bill is not popular among the public and added that his party will work to increase public awareness of the bill. The vote on Thursday in the Japanese parliament also attracted significant attention outside the country. A spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry urged the Japanese government to remain faithful to peaceful principles and warned against any intervention in China's territory or security interests. The new resolution of the lower house will be submitted for a second vote to the upper house of parliament within the next 60 days. However, the vote on Thursday has effectively confirmed this bill since the lower house of parliament has significant powers and can even override the upper house's decision.