Commentary: Japan takes step toward old militarism with new war stance

Japan's military stance has potentially become more dangerous as its hawkish and historical revisionist Prime Minister Shinzo Abe now holds an active war button following the country's parliament in the early hours of Saturday enacting laws that could usher Japan into war again for the first time in 70 years.

The overturning of Japan's 70-year defense posture was finished in less than three years since Abe returned to power in late 2012. The extraordinary efficiency, however, was never seen to be utilized to revive Japan's 20-year stagnant economy by the prime minister who vowed to prioritize economic issues.

The prime minister, who performed as the sole advocator of the rule of law, pushed forward the enactment of the unconstitutional legislation by trampling on the principle of the rule of law, with about 90 percent of the country's top constitutional experts believing the war legislation violates Japan's Constitution.

Although the opponents made last-ditch efforts on Friday to delay the enactment of the new security-related legislation, the Abe autarchy finally beat the country's war-renouncing Constitution and domestic democracy in a month-long political bout despite opposition parties gaining support from the majority of the Japanese public.

Ironically, the prime minister admitted earlier in his statement marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II that Japan "advanced along the road to war" in the 1930s because its domestic political system failed to serve as a brake to stop the country's militarism.

It is deplorable that Abe, after acknowledging the mistake Japan had made over 70 years ago, is now choosing to repeat the same mistake.

It is notable that on Sept. 18, 84 years ago, Japan launched the Manchurian Incident that started its brutal aggression against China and 84 years later, the country led by Abe betrayed its 70- year pacifist stance and is marching again on a road to war under the same banner of "self-defense" it used decades ago when it waged a war of aggression in Asian countries.

With the new legislation that allows Japan's Self-Defense Forces to engage in armed conflicts worldwide, on the one hand, for the common Japanese civilians, their lives would be exposed to real dangers or be targeted in war zones around the world.

On the other, countries that have disputes with Japan or Japan' s wartime victims, should be vigilant of the country's overhauling on its defense posture, as the Japanese Shogun now seemingly suffering from historical amnesia has polished his tainted sword and is ready to wield it again at will.

Facing the historical revisionism of the Abe administration and its all-out efforts to boost Japan's military capacity, the people in the East Asian region have every reason to ask Japan to show transparency over its security strategy so as to expel mistrust generated by the country's contradictory words and deeds. Endi