Japan to let troops help allies’ defense
TOKYO – Japan’s parliament has approved contentious legislation to loosen constraints on the country’s military, giving it a greater role.
The approval at the upper house in the early hours of Saturday makes the legislation into law, loosening post-World War II constraints on use of force by the military to its own self-defense only.
The legislation, passed by the more powerful lower house in July, sparked sizeable protests and debate about whether the nation should shift away from its pacifist ways.
The legislation will allow the military to defend Japan’s allies even when the country isn’t under attack, work more closely with the U.S. and others. They will also be able participate more fully in international peacekeeping.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says Japan needs the legislation to bolster its defense amid China’s growing assertiveness.
European nations shutting borders
TOVARNIK, Croatia – Across southeast Europe, nations closed borders, blocked bridges, shut down trains and built new razor-wire fences Friday in a rush to block tens of thousands seeking safety in Western Europe from crossing their territories.
The rapid-fire, often contradictory border decisions came as each nation tried to shift the burden of handling the huge influx onto their neighbors, leaving asylum-seekers even more angry, confused and desperate.
Croatia declared it was overwhelmed and began busing migrants in convoys back to Hungary and closing its border crossings with Serbia. Slovenia shut down rail service to Croatia and was sending migrants back there, while Hungary began building yet another new razor-wire border fence, this time on its Croatian border.
After Croatia blocked off a bridge from Serbia, leaving scores of people stranded for hours in the hot sun, Serbian authorities just transported them to another area where they could enter Croatia illegally.
With more than 15,400 migrants arriving in just three days, Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic declared that his nation of 4.2 million could no longer cope and asylum seekers could not stay.
Britain seeks update on N. Ireland groups
LONDON – Britain has asked police and intelligence agencies to report on the state of banned militant groups in Northern Ireland, after claims of IRA activity brought the province’s Catholic-Protestant administration close to collapse.
Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villers said Friday she had asked for an assessment of “the structure, role and purpose of paramilitary organizations” to be published by mid-October.
The power-sharing administration has teetered since police said members of the Irish Republican Army murdered a former colleague in Belfast last month. The IRA is supposed to have disarmed and dissolved as part of Northern Ireland’s peace process.
Protestant First Minister Peter Robinson and several colleagues quit the administration last week, saying they could not remain alongside the IRA-linked Sinn Fein party.
Associated Press
