Abe should heed calls for restraint on Japan's 'self- defence' strategy

THE so-called "China threat" is uppermost in people's minds nowadays and so a joint Japan-Philippine military exercise in the South China Sea conducted recently with China clearly in mind attracted wide publicity while "anti-war" demonstrations in Japan received little attention.

Regardless of the arguments in favour of counterbalancing China's growing influence in these waters - its reef-expanding activities especially - it would be unfortunate indeed if debate on such issues is allowed to obscure the focus on what is happening in Japan itself.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has just extended the current session of Parliament by an unprecedented 95 days, to enact what he calls "peace" legislation but which is described by Kazuo Shii, executive committee chair of the Japan Communist Party, as a set of "War Bills".