Japanese lawmakers OK greater

overseas role for military

By Will Ripley, Jason Hanna and Eimi Yamamitsu, CNN

Updated 0046 GMT (0746 HKT) September 19, 2015

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Major change to the Japanese constitution

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Story highlights

Controversial bills pass, marking most dramatic shift in Japanese

military policy in 70 years

There was fierce opposition to bills that reinterpret Article 9 of the

Japanese constitution

Change will allow Japanese military to deploy overseas and engage in

offensive military action
Tokyo (CNN)Japan's upper chamber of Parliament early Saturday approved
controversial bills allowing the country's military to engage in overseas
combat in limited circumstances -- a major shift after seven decades of
pacifism.
The 148-90 vote was the final hurdle for the measures, which will go into
effect within roughly the next six months. The lower parliamentary
chamber passed the bills in July.
The legislation reinterprets Article 9 of the Japan's pacifist post-World War II
constitution, which outlaws war as a means of settling international disputes.
The reinterpretation will now allow the Japanese military, known as the SelfDefense Forces, to defend its allies in a limited role in conflicts abroad.
Japanese troops operating overseas had previously been limited to
humanitarian roles.
Article 9 of Japan's constitution says, in part, "Aspiring sincerely to an
international peace based on justice and order, the Japanese people forever
renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force
as means of settling international disputes."

Why is Japan expanding its military? 02:38

The bills, championed by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, sparked fierce and vocal
opposition, with massive demonstrations in Tokyo streets in recent months
and physical altercations in parliament this week.
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, setting the stage for Saturday's vote.

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.
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, including deployment, 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.

19 photos: China celebrates World War II victory

Chinese soldiers march past the Great Hall of the People at Tiananmen
Square on September 3, 2015 in Beijing, China.
Hide Caption
10 of 19
19 photos: China celebrates World War II victory
Chinese President Xi Jinping, in the middle, stands with (from left) South
Korean President Park Geun-hye, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and
former Chinese presidents Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao.
Hide Caption
11 of 19
19 photos: China celebrates World War II victory
Chinese soldiers march past the Great Hall of the People in Tiananmen
Square on September 3 in Beijing, China.

Hide Caption
12 of 19
19 photos: China celebrates World War II victory
Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, stands with former Chinese Presidents Jiang
Zemin and Hu Jintao and current Premier Li Keqiang at the military parade in
Beijing on September 3.
Hide Caption
13 of 19
19 photos: China celebrates World War II victory
People's Liberation Army troops arrive at Tiananmen Gate in formation for
the parade on September 3.
Hide Caption
14 of 19
19 photos: China celebrates World War II victory
Chinese soldiers march past Tiananmen Square on September 3.
Hide Caption
15 of 19
19 photos: China celebrates World War II victory
A Chinese military choir stands in position ahead of a military parade at
Tiananmen Square in Beijing on September 3.
Hide Caption
16 of 19
19 photos: China celebrates World War II victory
Chinese soldiers conduct last-minute drills ahead of the military parade in
Beijing's Tiananmen Square on September 3.
Hide Caption
17 of 19
19 photos: China celebrates World War II victory
Decorated with medals, 85-year-old Shen Ji-lan prepares for the military
parade in Beijing. She is the only person in China to be appointed twelve
consecutive times as a member of the National People's Congress, China's
legislature, according to local media.
Hide Caption
18 of 19

19 photos: China celebrates World War II victory

A paramilitary policeman stands at attention in Tiananmen Square in Beijing
on September 2, 2015.
Hide Caption
19 of 19

19 photos: China celebrates World War II victory

Chinese military helicopters fly in formation over Tiananmen Square on
September 3, 2015 in Beijing, China. A massive military parade in Tiananmen
Square marked the 70th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of
World War II.
Hide Caption
1 of 19
19 photos: China celebrates World War II victory
A military vehicle carrying a Pterodactyl I drone rolled through Beijing on
September 3.
Hide Caption
2 of 19
19 photos: China celebrates World War II victory
Military vehicles carry missiles past the Tiananmen Gate on September 3.

Hide Caption
3 of 19
19 photos: China celebrates World War II victory
Chinese President Xi Jinping stands in a sedan to address the People's
Liberation Army on September 3.
Hide Caption
4 of 19
19 photos: China celebrates World War II victory
Thousands of doves are released during the parade on September 3.
Hide Caption
5 of 19
19 photos: China celebrates World War II victory
Tanks promenade through the parade route on September 3.
Hide Caption
6 of 19
19 photos: China celebrates World War II victory
Chinese veterans wave from a bus during the military parade on September
3.
Hide Caption
7 of 19
19 photos: China celebrates World War II victory
Chinese military helicopters fly in formation during the grand parade on
September 3.
Hide Caption
8 of 19
19 photos: China celebrates World War II victory
Missiles are displayed along the parade route on September 3.
Hide Caption
9 of 19
19 photos: China celebrates World War II victory
Chinese soldiers march past the Great Hall of the People at Tiananmen
Square on September 3, 2015 in Beijing, China.
Hide Caption
10 of 19

19 photos: China celebrates World War II victory

Chinese President Xi Jinping, in the middle, stands with (from left) South
Korean President Park Geun-hye, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and
former Chinese presidents Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao.
Hide Caption
11 of 19
19 photos: China celebrates World War II victory
Chinese soldiers march past the Great Hall of the People in Tiananmen
Square on September 3 in Beijing, China.
Hide Caption
12 of 19
19 photos: China celebrates World War II victory
Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, stands with former Chinese Presidents Jiang
Zemin and Hu Jintao and current Premier Li Keqiang at the military parade in
Beijing on September 3.
Hide Caption
13 of 19
19 photos: China celebrates World War II victory
People's Liberation Army troops arrive at Tiananmen Gate in formation for
the parade on September 3.
Hide Caption
14 of 19
19 photos: China celebrates World War II victory
Chinese soldiers march past Tiananmen Square on September 3.
Hide Caption
15 of 19
19 photos: China celebrates World War II victory
A Chinese military choir stands in position ahead of a military parade at
Tiananmen Square in Beijing on September 3.
Hide Caption
16 of 19
19 photos: China celebrates World War II victory
Chinese soldiers conduct last-minute drills ahead of the military parade in
Beijing's Tiananmen Square on September 3.

Hide Caption
17 of 19
19 photos: China celebrates World War II victory
Decorated with medals, 85-year-old Shen Ji-lan prepares for the military
parade in Beijing. She is the only person in China to be appointed twelve
consecutive times as a member of the National People's Congress, China's
legislature, according to local media.
Hide Caption
18 of 19
19 photos: China celebrates World War II victory
A paramilitary policeman stands at attention in Tiananmen Square in Beijing
on September 2, 2015.
Hide Caption
19 of 19

19 photos: China celebrates World War II victory

Chinese military helicopters fly in formation over Tiananmen Square on
September 3, 2015 in Beijing, China. A massive military parade in Tiananmen
Square marked the 70th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of
World War II.

Hide Caption
1 of 19
19 photos: China celebrates World War II victory
A military vehicle carrying a Pterodactyl I drone rolled through Beijing on
September 3.
Hide Caption
2 of 19
19 photos: China celebrates World War II victory
Military vehicles carry missiles past the Tiananmen Gate on September 3.
Hide Caption
3 of 19
19 photos: China celebrates World War II victory
Chinese President Xi Jinping stands in a sedan to address the People's
Liberation Army on September 3.
Hide Caption
4 of 19
19 photos: China celebrates World War II victory
Thousands of doves are released during the parade on September 3.
Hide Caption
5 of 19
19 photos: China celebrates World War II victory
Tanks promenade through the parade route on September 3.
Hide Caption
6 of 19
19 photos: China celebrates World War II victory
Chinese veterans wave from a bus during the military parade on September
3.
Hide Caption
7 of 19
19 photos: China celebrates World War II victory
Chinese military helicopters fly in formation during the grand parade on
September 3.
Hide Caption
8 of 19

19 photos: China celebrates World War II victory

Missiles are displayed along the parade route on September 3.
Hide Caption
9 of 19
19 photos: China celebrates World War II victory
Chinese soldiers march past the Great Hall of the People at Tiananmen
Square on September 3, 2015 in Beijing, China.
Hide Caption
10 of 19

"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

Japanese lawmakers get physical 01:01

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.
Tens of thousands of anti-war demonstrators have been gathering in recent
weeks outside the Japanese Parliament building -- the largest demonstrations
of their kind in Japan in more than 50 years. They are students and teachers,
workers and retirees, grandchildren and grandparents.
Some wear work attire or school uniforms. Others have T-shirts, bandanas, or
posters with spirited slogans like "No war! No Abe!" -- a message to the
Prime Minister, who has grown increasingly unpopular in recent months for
doggedly pushing the controversial security bills through parliament.
OPINION: Japanese PM comes up short on WWII history and contrition

Abe's face appears on posters with a Hitler-style mustache and Nazi swastika
drawn on his forehead. The symbolism is clear. Some of these demonstrators
view their Prime Minister as a dictator.

Civic group members hold placards during an anti-government rally in Tokyo

on August 23, 2015.
Kazuo Shii, chairman of the Japanese Communist Party and Abe's political
opponent, used a loudspeaker to rev up the crowd on Monday evening.
"We fight, fight and fight through it! And abolish these unconstitutional
security bills," Shii shouted as the crowd cheered.
Hidenori Shida, a 65-year old IT engineer, said he's frightened by the idea
that a Japanese bullet might someday kill someone overseas.
"Japan is a country which pledged not to fight a war again," he said. "We
have killed no one in the (past) 70 years. This bill is unforgivable."

Japanese WWII 'Zero' pilot reflects on life and war 03:36

Sweeping government powers?

While the security legislation may strengthen Japan's ties with its allies,
Koichi Nakano, a professor at Sophia University, warns it also gives "very

sweeping powers to the government," which could allow logistic support and
assistance to allied countries during wartime.
He said that Abe's administration has rushed discussion of the security
legislation, and that the public "demand(s) the government to slow down so
that people get a better understanding of what is happening."
Opposition to the move is clearly evident in opinion polls. A recent
poll carried out by Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun indicated that 54% of
respondents opposed the legislation, while 29% supported the bills. Threequarters of respondents said parliamentary debate on security bills has been
insufficient.