A special antiterrorism law enacted in 2001 in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States has survived its first legal challenge.
The Saitama District Court on Wednesday dismissed a suit challenging the law's constitutionality.
The ruling was handed down amid growing concerns that Japan, which earlier this month enacted its first war-contingency laws, is steadily expanding the scope of Self-Defense Forces activities.
The 253 plaintiffs had sought nullification of the law, claiming it violates the Constitution's recognition of the right of people around the world to live in peace and its renunciation of war as a means of settling international disputes. They also had demanded 2.53 million yen -- 10,000 yen each -- in damages in the suit, which was filed in July.