The Japan’s Parliament in the early hours of 18th September 2015 enacted laws that enable its troops to fight overseas for the first time since World War II. After 200 hours of deliberations in both chambers of the Diet, the Upper House plenary session passed a pair of government-sponsored Bills into law with the backing of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, the Komeito party, as well as three minor opposition parties.

Lawmakers approved the bills to ease restrictions on the country’s tightly controlled military. This has been protested by the public on large scale. over 10,000, raised their voices louder as news of the decision spread through the crowd, chanting: “Protect the constitution.” One sign read: “Spread peace not war.” President of the upper house Masaaki Yamazaki said the bills passed with 148 lawmakers voting in favour, compared to 90 against.

Key Features:

• Abe’s team submitted the two bills to the Diet in May.
• More than 200 hours have been spent deliberating the legislation.
• According to opinion polls, a majority of the public opposes the legislation.
• A poll by the daily Asahi Shimbun from Sept. 12 to 13 found that 54 percent of the 1,994 respondents oppose the bills and 29 percent support them.

What is Diet?

It is Japan’s bicameral legislature (Parliament). It is composed of a lower house called the House of Representatives, and an upper house, called the House of Councillors.

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What is the Capital Of Japan?