Japan considers military role
Japan’s Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, has used the 60th anniversary of the country’s constitution to call for a new era for Japan and a review of the pacifism imposed on it after World War II. The government hopes to allow Japan to take a larger role in global security.
However, the call has been received coolly by Japan’s neighbours, particularly South Korea and China, which suffered severely at the hands of Japanese wartime forces.
The Japanese population is also divided about the proposal. Critics say the nation’s pacifist constitution has served Japan well, keeping it out of war since the 1940s and allowing it to focus on economic growth instead.
