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Japan upgrades defence's status | |
(40 minutes later) | |
Japan's upper house of parliament has voted to upgrade the country's defence agency to a full ministry. | Japan's upper house of parliament has voted to upgrade the country's defence agency to a full ministry. |
The move is part of new Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's drive to lift Japan's diplomatic presence and rethink its post-World War II role. | |
The upper house also passed a bill that requires schools to teach patriotism in the classroom. | |
Both moves have caused unease among Japan's Asian neighbours, who remember Japanese militarism last century. | |
The bills now become law as they have already been passed by the powerful lower house. | |
Nationalism fears | |
Mr Abe earlier survived a no-confidence motion, which was brought by the opposition in a last ditch bid to halt the controversial education bill. | |
The bill calls on teachers to instil thinking among students "respecting tradition and culture and loving the nation and homeland." | |
Opponents are wary because Japan's military leaders used patriotism to justify the expansion which led in part to WWII, and they also fear a resurgence of Japanese nationalism. | |
Mr Abe says Japan's education system - unchanged since 1947 - has not done enough to address "moral values, ethics and self-discipline". | |
The vote to upgrade the defence agency passed with a majority and included support from the main opposition Democratic Party. | |
The upgrade, which will give the new ministry more status and budget control, is part of a wider shift to allow Japan a greater role in global military co-operation. | |
Japanese troops have begun participating in international military operations, including in Iraq. |
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