Bipartisan Leadership of Senate Foreign Relations and Senate Armed Services Committees Welcome Japan’s Passage of Collective Self-Defense Legislation

WASHINGTON – The bipartisan leadership of the Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees today welcomed the Japanese parliament’s passage of legislation that will permit Japan to engage in collective self-defense, including coming to the aid of an ally. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), Foreign Relations Ranking Member Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.), and Armed Services Ranking Member Jack Reed (D-R.I.) released the following statement.

"The new measures adopted by Japan today will contribute to international peace and security while strengthening the vital alliance between our two countries,” the senators said. “For over 70 years, Japan has served as a model for the Asia-Pacific by demonstrating an abiding commitment to peace, democracy, and the rule of law. We welcome a larger role for Japan in regional and global security affairs and look forward to our country working with Japan to implement these new measures in the context of the revised US-Japan Defense Guidelines.”

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