| Summary/Abstract |
Japan’s ruling coalition, headed by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, forced a set of 11 controversial new security bills through the lower house of the National Diet (parliament) in July 2015. Upper house deliberation had just begun as of this writing and was following a similar playbook. Abe and his supporters want the bills enacted by the close of the parliamentary session at the end of September. The voting procedure makes passage likely even if all the opposition parties band together. Public opinion, however, is overwhelmingly opposed to the substance of the bills, which would effectively end the postwar constitution’s ban on Japanese military forces engaging in war abroad. What unfolds in the coming months will clarify the strength and nature of democratic society in Japan today
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