Japan upper house committee passes controversial security bills

Opposition lawmakers crowd around Masahisa Sato (2nd L), deputation chairman of the upper house special committee on security, at an upper house special committee session on security-related legislation at the parliament in Tokyo, Japan, September 17, 2015. [Photo/Agencies]

TOKYO - A panel in Japan's upper house on Thursday approved legislation for a security policy shift that would allow troops to fight abroad for the first time since World War II, a ruling party lawmaker said.

The passage came without a final debate on the bills, paving way for the chamber's plenary session to vote on the bills.

Opposition lawmakers tried to physically prevent the vote in a chaotic scene carried live on national television. The legislation has sparked huge protests from ordinary voters.

The legal revisions include an end to a decades-old ban on defending a friendly nation under attack, or collective self-defence, when Japan faces a "threat to its survival".

The government says the changes to the law, welcomed by ally Washington, are vital to meet new challenges.

But opponents say the revisions, which the government aims to get voted into law by the entire upper house this week, violate the pacifist constitution and could embroil Japan in US-led conflicts around the globe.

The Japanese ruling camp led by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe secured the majority in the upper house, meaning that the controversial bills would be approved in the upcoming plenary at earliest on Thursday.

But opposition parties have vowed to prevent a vote by the full chamber before parliament disperses on Sep 27, even if they have to use delaying tactics such as no-confidence and censure motions. The legislation has already been approved by the lower house.