Palace welcomes passage of Japan's new security laws

From the Philippine News Agency (Sep 19): Palace welcomes passage of Japan's new security laws

Malacanang welcomed the passage of Japan’s National Diet of legislations that would allow Japanese soldiers to fight overseas in defense of their allies.

"We welcome the passage of legislation on national security by Japan’s National Diet," Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said in a radio interview on Saturday.

"As Japan is our strategic partner, we look forward to efforts to strengthen such to further our mutual goals of greater peace and stability in the international community," he told dzRB Radyo ng Bayan.

Asked if President Aquino will meet Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during the APEC Leaders’ Summit in November, Lacierda said the foreign affairs department is still finalizing the list of the President's meetings.

President Aquino was reported to be meeting the leader of Vietnam during the summit.

"I don’t have the exact list right now. We will just wait for the DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) to make the proper announcement," he said.

Japan's parliament passed contentious security bills into law early Saturday, allowing Japanese troops to fight abroad.

Japanese lawmakers approved the bills to ease restrictions on the country's tightly controlled military, despite mounting opposition as the country drips away from pacifism. Japan has remained a pacifist nation for the last 70 years.

Like the Philippines, Japan has a territorial dispute with China in the East China Sea. The Philippines and Japan, in recent years, have agreed to strengthen military cooperation in the midst of China's aggressive posturing.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=805984