Japanese voice frustration, resignation over security shake-up
Members of the public interviewed in and around Tokyo on Saturday expressed disappointment and resignation following the Diet's enactment of the security bills in the early hours. Many said the government of conservative Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had failed in its job to explain the ...
Japan's defense shift is hailed, but weaknesses will remain: experts
Passage of security bills satisfies the U.S. desire for Japan to be more of a regional military player, will strengthen defense cooperation with other countries.
The United States on Friday welcomed Japan's enactment of new laws that ease restrictions on overseas activities of the Self-Defense Forces, including allowing them to help allies even if Japan is not directly attacked. "We welcome Japan's ongoing efforts to strengthen the alliance and play ...
Japanese business groups welcome new security laws as aiding nation's interest
There was a broad welcome by major business organizations of the passage of bills that will expand the role of the Self-Defense Forces abroad. However, one group said ruling party lawmakers need to explain the changes better to a skeptical public. The prevailing mood was ...
Ruling bloc on verge of enacting security laws
The battle over Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s publicly divisive security bills enters its final phase as the Upper House shrugs off the opposition’s latest tricks and prepares to vote.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has rammed his security legislation through the Diet, public opposition be damned.
Foes stand their ground as ruling bloc presses hard for vote on contentious security bills
The ruling bloc tried to clear a key hurdle to enact its contentious security legislation at the Upper House on Wednesday night, but the move was met with vehement protests from opposition lawmakers and thousands of angry demonstrators who gathered in a rally around ...
Student protests continue quest to block security bills
Student protesters continued to cry foul over what they call "unconstitutional" security legislation Wednesday in a last-minute effort before the bills' expected Diet passage later this week. Aki Okuda, 23, a founding member of Student Emergency Action for Liberal Democracy (SEALDs) — a leading student ...
Arresting possibilities: a primer on who can lock you up in Japan
Do you lie awake at night wondering "Who can arrest me, and why?" The answer is: anyone.
Japan's defense reform tarnished by low public support, unconvincing sales pitch
The ruling bloc’s effort to pass a pair of controversial security bills has failed in an important respect: to win public support.
Proposed revisions to the United Nations peacekeeping law contained in the security bills now in the Diet contain serious ramifications for the Self-Defense Forces.
