Members of the public interviewed in and around Tokyo on Saturday expressed disappointment and resignation following the Diet's enactment of the security bills in the early hours.
Many said the government of conservative Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had failed in its job to explain the legislation to the public. The laws, which drastically expand the scope of overseas missions by the Self-Defense Forces through the Cabinet's reinterpretation of the Constitution, are largely unpopular among citizens.
"I have an impression (the ruling camp) forced these bills through the Diet," said a 58-year-old office worker, who asked to be identified only by his last name, Fujita, in Yokohama. "They weren't clearly explained."