By Ankit Panda
Two new bills could revolutionize the Japanese military’s ability to fight abroad.
In a move that signals an expansion of the role of Japan’s Self-Defense Forces (SDF) overseas, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s cabinet adopted two bills on Thursday that would expand the scope of Japanese overseas military operations with foreign forces, Japan Times reports.
“The Cabinet today approved a package of security bills to ensure peace for Japan and the world,” Abe told the press. Abe’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters that the Japanese government’s top responsibility is “to protect the peaceful lives of the public.” Accordingly, Suga argued, Japan needs “legislation that would enable [it] to address every situation in a seamless manner.”
The two bills affect SDF operations in different ways. The first amends a series of ten security laws that would effectively remove restrictions on Japan’s ability to exercise the right of collective self-defense. Last year, the Abe cabinet reinterpreted Article 9 of Japan’s constitution to allow for this right.
Read the full story at The Diplomat