Japan’s cabinet has approved a set of bills bolstering the role and scope of its military. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters that the purpose of the bills is to strengthen the deterrent and prevent conflict from happening. He said that the legislation would allow Japanese forces to go into battle to protect allies, something currently banned by Japan’s pacifist constitution.
The bills are a pet project of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who says that Japan can no longer shy away from its responsibility to help safeguard regional stability, and must step out from the shade of the security umbrella provided by the United States.