Japanese military forces to take a more active role in regional security - DND

From the Philippine News Agency (Sep 19): Japanese military forces to take a more active role in regional security - DND

The Department of National Defense (DND) welcomed the passage of a legislation allowing Japanese military forces to deploy and fight overseas.

DND spokesperson Dr. Peter Paul Galvez on Saturday said that the legislation would allow Japan to take a more active role in promoting regional peace and security.

"We welcome the passage of measures that will enable Japan to play a more active role in promoting regional peace and security," Galvez said.

The passage of this legislation would allow the Japanese military to fight overseas for the first time in 70 years and respond to threats against its allies.

After its defeat in World War II, Japan has adopted a pacifist constitution that forbids it to use force in resolving conflicts, except in self-defense.

Japan’s new law, heralding a shift in Japanese defense policy, came amid rising sea tensions between Japan and China on the East China Sea, and Southeast Asian nations like the Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia and China off the South China Sea.

The Philippines and Japan have an existing strategic partnership agreement -- Manila’s second after the United States -- that aims to bolster their cooperation on several fronts, including defense and maritime security.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=806014