After months of acrimonious debate, Parliament gave final approval Monday to the use of Japanese troops overseas for the first time since World War II, enabling Japan to join international peacekeeping operations.

Backers of the bill said it would enable Japan to go beyond "checkbook diplomacy" and pull its own weight in contributing to international security. Japan was sharply criticized by other countries for not providing troops for the allied campaign that drove Iraq from Kuwait last year.Opponents said sending troops abroad, even on peacekeeping missions, would violate the constitution's ban on using force to settle international disputes. They also said it would be a dangerous precedent for a once militaristic nation that had set out to conquer Asia.

The legislation, which was approved by Parliament's upper house last week, creates a 2,000-soldier unit in Japan's military that could be dispatched for U.N. peacekeeping operations.

The lower house approved the bill by a vote of 329-17. The vote was boycotted by 137 Socialist lawmakers who submitted resignations en masse Monday in a final attempt to block the bill by removing the chance for a consensus, which is considered important in Japan.

View Comments

After the final tally was announced, the bill's supporters stood and applauded. Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa rose and solemnly bowed.

The Socialists hoped their offer to resign would compel Miyazawa to dissolve Parliament and call general elections that in effect would be a referendum on the peacekeeping legislation.

However, the majority Liberal Democrats, who hold 278 of the 512 lower house seats, would have to approve the resignations, the first of their kind in Japan's postwar history. The governing party decided to go ahead with the vote on the troops bill after negotiations with the Socialists broke down.

Although they are not allowed to quit without parliamentary approval, the Socialists refused to attend Monday's session, saying they would return to their constituencies to campaign against the law. The legislation now only requires adoption by the Cabinet, which is controlled by the Liberal Democrats.

Join the Conversation
Looking for comments?
Find comments in their new home! Click the buttons at the top or within the article to view them — or use the button below for quick access.