YAHOO / AHP: Japan’s parliament passed contentious security bills into law early Saturday, in a move that could see Japanese troops fight abroad for the first time in 70 years.
Lawmakers approved the bills to ease restrictions on the country’s tightly controlled military, while outside thousands rallied in a last-ditch show of opposition to laws they fear could fundamentally reshape the proudly pacifist nation.
The changes, which would allow Japanese troops to fight in defence of allies, have drawn tens of thousands of people from across society onto the streets in almost daily protests, in a show of public anger rarely seen on such a scale… (more)
EDITOR: This is an essential component for developing capacity among Asian countries to counter balance Chinese aggressiveness. There is no way for the USA to do this alone. But Japan, Korea, Viet Nam, Singapore with its high tech submarines, perhaps India, along with others including the USA, can become a powerful block.
