One of seven bills to augment war-contingency legislation enacted last June is dubbed by the government as a "citizen protection bill."
The seven-bill package is expected to be endorsed Thursday by a special committee of the House of Representatives.
The government has emphasized that the bill is aimed at protecting people's lives and property in the event of a "military emergency." The other six bills would update military cooperation with the U.S. forces in Japan and allow the Maritime Self-Defense Force to inspect foreign ships suspected of carrying cargo of military nature in and around Japan's territorial waters.