Japanese lawmakers are set to debate the pros and cons of a security bill that will increase the role of the country's military. The government-sponsored bill argues that the constitution allows Japanese soldiers to conduct military engagements in order to help its "allies."

The Stars and Stripes reported that a legislative committee has already approved the bill, paving the way for Diet legislators to debate and study the proposed Japan Security Act in detail.

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The Japanese constitution states that the country will no longer wage war against other countries. However, the country's prime minister, Shinzo Abe, seeks to enact a law that will enable Japanese troops to engage in military actions to help allies although the country may not be under direct threat.

The security bill would "reinterpret" the constitution to help the country's military engage in "collective defense." Lawmakers from the opposition, however, said that the reinterpretation is illegal and will create the negative impression that Japan is trying to return to its militaristic past. After the country's defeat in World War II, Japan has adopted a pacifist attitude in its international dealing, according to ABC 7.

Prime Minister Abe believed that withholding military help to a key ally like the U.S. would jeopardize the bilateral relations between the two countries. Ultimately, the security and even the survival of Japan may also be jeopardized.

Many Japanese citizens do not agree with the government's assessment. Pundits say the prime ninister is yet to fully justify why the current national security law has to be modified.

A cabinet official, Yoshihide Suga, admitted the government's shortcoming pertaining to the current lack of information about the security bill during a meeting with the media last Wednesday.

To drive home his point, Abe said that the proposed security act can allow the Japanese navy help in the clearing of mines scattered in the Hormuz Strait.

The United States government has welcomed the Japanese government's effort to increase its military options. The U.S. sees Japan as a strategic partner that can help deal with North Korea. Critics say the ongoing dispute with China over territory may have pushed Japanese government to reconsider its military options.

On Tuesday, the spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry Hua Chunying condemned the international arbitration initiated by the Philippine over the country's territorial dispute with China. "China will never accept any imposed solutions or unilaterally resorting to a third-party settlement," she said.

TagsJapanese Security Act, Japanese Security Bill, Japanese diet, Japan-China Conflict, World War II, Japan Foreign Military Intervention