It took more than a year for the drafting, reviewing, and the final pass of the new security-related legislation in Japan. Many scholars and members of the public cast doubts on the motives of the legislation, and the legal basis of it. One Japanese scholar has said Japan's new security law violates the country's supreme law which bans fighting overseas.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government is challenged with many issues, like the country's economy, and various social problems. But the government chooses to spend good energy passing the new security law.
One constitutional expert sees the new legislation as violating the constitution.
"The new security law seriously violates Article IX (9) of the Japanese Constitution. Its first item says that Japan will not start a war. The second item says that Japan will not maintain military forces or a fighting army, and it will not resort to force as a means of settling international disputes. This is what Article IX (9) says, to restrain state power," Honorary professor Osamu Watanabe with Hitotsubashi University said.
This view prevails in legal professionals. Unable to stop the bill in the parliament controlled by Abe's coalition, legal professionals are seeking other ways. About 100 Japanese lawyers have set up a lawsuit association, and will sue in local courts on the new unconstitutional security law in April.
With Abe's coalition gaining control over the parliament, public opinion matter no more. Abe has recently talked about the will to amend the constitution, and successfully made it a hot topic.
For experts, the pacifism spirit of the constitution is never outdated.
"For peace in Asia, what Japan can do is to avoid having that kind of troops that had fought against some Asian countries and dragged Asia into hell," Honorary professor Osamu Watanabe said.
Expert say although Abe's intention may not be met in the near future, the enactment of this new law poses great damage to the pacifism constitution. And every step closer to Abe's amendment intention, inflicts more tension on the Asia-Pacific region.
