Japan’s ruling coalition endorses bills allowing military to fight overseas

TOKYO, May 14. /TASS/. Japan’s ruling coalition on Thursday signed off on a package of bills allowing the country’s military to take part in fighting abroad for the first time since Tokyo’s surrender in World War II. Later in the day, the documents will be approved at the meeting of the cabinet of ministers and then be ready to be presented to the parliament. The new bills give Japan the right to use the "minimum allowed" force in case of aggression against the country with which it maintains close relations. These states have not been specified. The use of armed forces will now not be limited to geography. Earlier, this was only possible in case of emergency situations on the territory of Japan and adjacent areas. The bills also allow the country’s armed forces to provide logistic support, including by ammunition, to the armies of other countries as part of operations approved by the United Nations. The ruling coalition in the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Komeito centrist party have the majority in both houses of Japan’s parliament. Read more