Tokyo urged to act prudently

By Liu Xin Source:Global Times Published: 2015-9-18 0:28:01

Japanese upper house panel approves security bills


Japanese ruling and opposition lawmakers scuffle at the upper house's ad hoc committee session for the controversial security bills at the National Diet in Tokyo on Thursday. Japanese lawmakers came to blows as they tried - and failed - to stop the passage of security bills that could see the military fight abroad for the first time since World War II. Photo: AFP



China's foreign ministry urged Japan to act prudently in military and security fields as Japan's ruling bloc on Thursday succeeded in pushing its contentious security bills through a legislative committee. 

In a written response to an earlier question from the Global Times regarding China's response to Japan's upcoming passage of the security bills, the foreign ministry said Thursday that due to historic reasons, Japan's moves in the military and security fields are being closely watched by its Asian neighbors and the international community.

"We solemnly urge the Japanese side to draw hard lessons from history, respect the major security concerns of its Asian neighbors, stick to the path of peaceful development, act prudently in the military and security fields and do more things that are conducive to regional peace and stability," the foreign ministry statement said.

Japan's Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, the Komeito party, pushed the bills through at a meeting of a House of Councilors panel, paving the way for enactment of the bills, the Kyodo News Agency reported Thursday.

The security bills will allow the Japanese military to go into battle to protect its allies - also known as "collective self-defense" - even if there is no direct threat to Japan or its people.

"If the bills are enacted, Japan's Self-Defense Forces could participate in military activities with the US around the world, including in the East and South China Seas," said Huang Dahui, a professor specializing in East Asian Studies at the Renmin University of China.

Hyping up threats

Abe and his supporters say the bills are necessary to deal with a changing security environment, hyping up threats from China.

Zhang Lili, director of the International Studies Department at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times that "Japan may take military actions to deal with maritime disputes."

"Enacting these bills will complicate maritime disputes in Northeast Asia since Russia, South Korea and China all have issues over disputed islands with Japan," said Zhang, adding that the bills could lead to potential military conflict and deepen mistrust between China and Japan.

"Japan will expand cooperation in security and defense fields with Australia, the Philippines, Vietnam and other Asia-Pacific countries to realize its purpose of containing China," said Huang.

He added that Japan's advanced military technology will create more pressure on China.

"The bills will strengthen and accelerate the integration of military forces between the US and Japan," said Huang, adding that Japan will play a bigger role in global security cooperation, especially in Asia.

But they will not change Japan's subordinate position in the US-Japan relationship, and Sino-US relations will bring more influence to bear on the future of Sino-Japan relations, said Geng Xin, deputy director of the Tokyo-based think tank New Japanese Institute of JCC.

Deepening opposition

"The bills will deepen the political opposition among different parties and social divisions in Japan. The public worries that Japan will give up its peaceful development path and Japanese soldiers will lose their lives in international conflicts," Huang said.

Opposition parties, led by the Democratic Party of Japan, vowed earlier to take every possible measure to block the bills. They filed on Thursday a no-confidence motion at the House of Representatives against Abe's cabinet and a censure motion in the upper house against Abe.

The vote on the bills in the upper house could be held up if the opposition camp repeatedly submits a censure motion against each member of the Abe cabinet. But if the upper house fails to vote within 60 days of receiving the bills from the lower house, the bill would be returned to the lower house for a second vote and passed into law directly, the Japan Times reported.

"Japan's opposition camp is using delaying tactics, but it is no use blocking the passage of the bills by a no-confidence motion as the ruling coalition holds a majority in the upper house," Geng said.

The opposition camp reportedly blocked doorways and packed the corridors of parliament to delay the committee vote through Wednesday night.

Members of the opposition and ruling coalition pushed and shoved each other as a committee chairman was surrounded during a heated debate over the bills early on Thursday, which was described by Japanese media as "uncommon."

A total of 13 people were reportedly arrested during the evening for "interfering with officers" in a rally that saw an estimated 13,000 people gather outside parliament in Tokyo. 

The security bill will not change Japanese people's will to adhere to the path of peaceful development, said Geng, adding that Asian countries should not take Japan's movements too lightly either.

Asian countries should watch over the rise of Japan's right-wingers, represented by Abe and his supporters, and make proper preparations for their military moves, said Zhang.



Posted in: Diplomacy

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