MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Japanese media reported On Monday that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said at a closed-doors meeting that Japan's new security bills could allow Tokyo to side with Washington against Beijing in the South China Sea's dispute.
"We have noticed the report. If it is confirmed true, we believe Japan should issue an explanation and clarification," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Monday as quoted by the China Daily.
She urged Japan to “act prudently on military and security affairs to avoid making the same mistakes [of the past]."
However, the legislative package on national security, currently being considered in local parliament, allows Japan's self-defense forces to come to the aid of its allies when there is a threat to the country's existence, in the case of a military provocation, as well as to defend Japanese nationals abroad and secure their release from foreign captivity.
The archipelago, holding potentially significant oil and gas reserves, is the subject of a territorial dispute between several regional countries.
