Story highlights
A controversial bill passes in committee, paving the way for a vote in the Upper House
Fierce opposition to 11 bills that reinterpret Article 9 of the Japanese constitution
Change will allow Japanese military to deploy overseas and engage in offensive military action
[Breaking news update, published at 2:15 p.m. ET Friday]
Japan’s upper chamber of parliament early Saturday gave final approval to a set of controversial bills allowing the country’s military to engage in overseas combat assignments – under certain circumstances – for the first time since World War II. The lower chamber approved the bills in July.
[Original story, published at 3:46 p.m. ET Thursday]
Japan’s upper house of Parliament is poised to pass the first major reinterpretation of the country’s pacifist constitution since the end of World War II, despite fierce and vocal opposition that culminated with lawmakers getting into physical altercations.
The historic vote, which could take place Friday, marks the most dramatic shift in Japanese military policy in 70 years, and has triggered the largest protests seen in Tokyo in decades.
A scuffle broke out Thursday as opposition lawmakers in a special committee of the Upper House attempted to delay a vote. But the bill ultimately passed the committee, clearing a key hurdle and setting the stage for a vote on the measure.
The controversial legislation reinterprets Article 9 of the Japanese constitution, which outlaws war as a means of settling international disputes.
The reinterpretation allows Japan to exercise collective self-defense, enabling the Japanese military, known as the Self-Defense Forces (SDF), to fight overseas and defend allies with limited conditions.
The argument for the bills
Supporters of the legislation, including top U.S. officials, say Japan needs to expand the role of the SDF to counter potential threats from nations such as China and North Korea. Both continue to develop their military and nuclear weapons programs.
Earlier this month, China staged its largest military parade ever to celebrate 70 years since Japan’s World War II defeat. Beijing remains locked in territorial disputes with multiple Asian neighbors in the East and South China seas.
China celebrates World War II victory
On Tuesday, North Korea warned the United States and its allies that it is ready to use nuclear weapons “at any time” and is expected to launch a new satellite using a long-range rocket sometime in the coming weeks.
Tokyo has faced growing international pressure to expand the role of its military to defend the interests of its key allies, including the United States. America is bound by treaty to defend Japan, an agreement that has been in place since 1960.
“Japan is like the 42-year-old kid still living in the basement of the United States,” said longtime Asia strategist Keith Henry.
Henry’s Tokyo-based consulting firm, Asia Strategy, provides governmental policy analysis. Henry likens the defense bills to Japan finally “growing up” and moving beyond vague concepts of peace and democracy that are no longer practical given today’s rapidly changing geopolitical landscape.
Henry says Japan is assuming a more proactive role in regional security, in part to offset China’s growing military might.
“Japan is moving out of the house of the U.S. that was essentially built after World War II,” Henry said. “But there are risks involved in protecting one’s national self interests.”
The argument against
Those potential risks have triggered outrage on the streets of Tokyo. Opponents of the legislation say seven decades of Japanese postwar pacifism are simply being tossed away without proper public debate or discourse. They worry about the consequences of potentially sending troops into battle without actual combat experience.