Ruling and opposition lawmakers in Japan’s upper house scuffle at a committee session on contentious security bills.
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During the committee session, opposition lawmaker Tetsuro Fukuyama made an emotional speech outlining why his party had submitted a motion to delay the bills.
Tensions were running high in parliament yesterday after the committee vote was repeatedly delayed through Wednesday night, as opposition lawmakers blocked doorways and packed the corridors of parliament in protest.
In scenes uncommon for Japan’s normally sedate parliament, members of the opposition and the ruling coalition pushed and shoved each other as a committee chairman was surrounded. As the scrum intensified, other ruling party members still in their seats stood up to signal their support for the legislation, though there did not appear to have been an audible announcement of what they were voting on.
The changes reinterpret the constitution to allow Japan’s military to fight to protect its allies, which Abe argues is necessary because of threats from an increasingly belligerent China and unstable North Korea.
Article 9 of Japan’s Constitution, written by Americans shortly after the end of World War II, prohibits the country from having armed forces or using force to settle worldwide disputes.
Prior to the vote, there has been much speculation about the potential negative impact forcing the security legislation through the Diet could have on Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government. As examples, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has cited defending a U.S. ship attacked while transporting Japanese citizens evacuating a conflict zone, or protecting a USA destroyer conducting surveillance against a possible missile attack on Japan.
If the upper house does not pass the bills within 60 days, they will have to be returned the lower house.
Thousands of protesters rallied outside the parliament in Tokyo as debates continued inside the building on Thursday.
“It’s an issue of constitutionalism – the government is ignoring the constitution”, said Aki Okuda, 23, a student at Tokyo’s Meiji Gakuin University and one of the leaders of Students Emergency Action for Liberal Democracy (SEALDs), a protest group formed in May. A poll released Monday by the liberal-leaning Asahi Shimbun newspaper showed 54% of respondents opposing the bills, compared to 29% supporting them.
But Mr. Abe risks a voter backlash that could undermine the government when it faces an upper house election, to be held by July 2016.
Japan’s parliament braced Thursday for another battle of wills after opposition lawmakers used delaying tactics to block an upper house committee from meeting to approve bills that would expand the role of the country’s military.
Katsuya Okada, head of the party, said it was “outrageous” for Abe’s ruling block to rush a vote on legislation that has split the nation.
“We believe the likelihood of an economic recovery in Japan strong enough to restore economic support for sovereign creditworthiness commensurate with our previous assessment has diminished”, said the announcement.
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It is thought Mr Abe’s government wants to pass the bills before the country goes into a five-day holiday on Saturday, which could provide an opportunity for even bigger protests.
