Commentary: Abe opens Pandora's box by forcing through controversial security bills

In defiance of a public roar, Japan's ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is poised to bulldoze two controversial security bills in a short while through the lower parliamentary chamber, where it holds a two-third comfortable majority to secure the passage.

The passage of the bills, deemed unconstitutional by some Japanese lawmakers and experts, is a further step of Abe's scheme to reverse the island nation's self-imposed ban on exercising the right to collective self-defense and normalizing the military.

It would certainly hurt the hard-won upward momentum in ties between Japan and its neighbors, thus stoking instability both at home and in the region.

For starters, a forced passage is set to widen the gap among Japanese voters and trigger more anti-government demonstration and protests, with a majority of 56 percent Japanese opposed to the bills according to a poll conducted by the Asahi newspaper.

In addition, by expanding the scope of the Self Defense Force (SDF)'s missions overseas, the pet project of Abe would drag Japan further into the conflicts around the globe, which means a growing defense budget and more pressure on the economy.

Secondly, in a region still reminiscing of memories of the Japanese military's wartime brutality, the security bills that allow a drastic change of Japan's defense policy, will surely invoke deep concerns of its neighbors, including China and South Korea, and thus inject more uncertainties into the process of repairing Japan's relations with its neighbors.

Moreover, given Abe's vision of a "normalized" Japanese army, the rammed passage might open a door for the nationalist prime minister to continue driving wedges into the pacifist constitution, which is a dam for fending off the revival of Japanese militarism.

It is highly advised that Abe should look through the window to see the mounting anger of the protesters outside his office. After all, his dream of a "stronger Japan" might become a nightmare for him and the country if he chooses to continue ignoring the opposition from the Japanese voters and neighboring countries. Endi