The ruling coalition parties are hoping that the House of Representatives will pass contentious security bills on July 16 that would expand the overseas operations of the Self-Defense Forces, lawmakers said Wednesday.
Sadakazu Tanigaki and Yoshihisa Inoue, the secretaries general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner Komeito, met Wednesday and confirmed their parties will seek to have the Lower House pass the bills on July 16, according to the lawmakers.
The schedule could be altered, however, as the opposition Japan Innovation Party is expected to make counterproposals to the bills around Friday, they said.
Opposition parties have expressed objections to an early vote on the bills in the Lower House, with public concern about the legislation remaining high.
Many experts have said the bills, which would also enable Japan to exercise the right to collective self-defense, or to coming to the defense of allies even when Japan is not directly attacked, violate the war-renouncing Constitution.
The ruling bloc is hoping the bills will be passed by the House of Councilors and enacted into law by the end of the current Diet session, which has been extended to Sept. 27.