Abe’s approval rating sinks after bills’ passage

Japan's passage of security bills that allow its Self-Defense Forces to engage in battles has provoked regional security concerns, while Chinese observers warned that the bills would further damage Sino-Japanese ties.

The controversial Japanese security bills were passed early Saturday despite opposition party efforts to block them. The bills' approval marks Japan's biggest security shift in 70 years.

China describes it as an unprecedented move by post-war Japan in the military and security fields.

"Japan's recent military buildup and drastic changes to its military and security policies are out of step with the trend toward peace, development and cooperation, making the international community question whether Japan is going to drop its exclusive defense policy and deviate from the path of peaceful development it has been following since World War II," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei said at a regular press briefing on Saturday.

China solemnly urges the Japanese side to learn hard lessons from history, pay heed to the call for justice from within and abroad, take seriously the security concerns of its Asian neighbors, stick to the path of peaceful development, act with discretion on military and security issues and do more to promote regional peace and stability, rather than the opposite, he added.

Threat to ties

"The passage of the bills gives Japan's military the right to engage in battle to aid its allies, also known as collective self-defense," Wang Xiaopeng, an expert on maritime and border studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.

"It is of deep concern that Japan may deploy its forces in the high seas in the name of countering security threats to realize its ambition of becoming one of the world's biggest military powers," he said.

Liu Jiangyong, vice director of the Modern International Relations Institute at Tsinghua University, also told the Global Times that the bills pose a threat to China-Japan ties.

"Sino-Japanese ties were based on the four-point agreements reached in November 2014, which included avoiding the use of violence in resolving conflicts to prevent the situation from deteriorating. But the security bills would violate the agreements if Japan participates in joint military activities with its allies. Sino-Japanese relations could worsen if the agreements are violated," he said.

He explained that countries which support or are under the influence of Japan and the US, such as the Philippines and Vietnam, may also work together to target China, which would create uncertainties, particularly in the South China Sea disputes.

Unpopular decision

Meanwhile, South Korea reminded Japan on Saturday of the need for "peace spirit" and transparency in implementing its new defense policy.

North Korea's Foreign Ministry also released a statement on Saturday, stating it will strengthen its deterrence capabilities in response to Japan's revised security bills.

"Japan is forgetting lessons from history and walking toward the path of militarization and reinvasion," the Korea Times quoted the statement as saying.

"All neighboring countries have to be alert as they could be affected by a confrontation with Japan," Lü Yaodong, director of the Institute of Japanese Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.

Liu said Japan's military will not only be able to operate in the Asia-Pacific region but elsewhere in the world, meaning the security threat it poses is global.

The approval rating of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Cabinet fell to 38.9 percent after the bills were passed, a poll on Sunday showed.

According to the poll conducted by Japan's Kyodo News Agency on Saturday and Sunday, the Abe Cabinet's approval rating was down from 43.2 percent in last month's survey, with the disapproval rating rising to 50.2 percent.