Parliamentary committee adopts resolution against Japan's 'collective self-defense'

A South Korean parliamentary committee adopted a resolution on Friday against Japan's push for "collective self-defense," expressing concern over Tokyo's efforts to expand the role of its military beyond its borders.

The resolution, adopted by the National Assembly's special committee against the distortion of Northeast Asian history, urges Japan to stop its pursuit of the right to use force against any military attack on its allies.

Japan's move has won support from its ally, the United States, but caused alarm in South Korea and some other Asian nations where it is viewed as re-militarization.

South Korea and Japan have yet to resolve various historical and territorial disputes stemming from Tokyo's 1910-45 colonization of the Korean Peninsula.

"The Japanese government should not aim to expand its influence in Northeast Asia by pursuing the right to collective self-defense, and make clear that it will not exercise (the right) on the Korean Peninsula without our government's consent and agreement," the resolution said.

One of South Korea's concerns is that the right to collective self-defense could even lead to Japanese troops coming into Korea in the name of helping its U.S. ally in the event of war on the divided peninsula.

The resolution also calls on Japan to stop denying and distorting the two countries' common history, saying Tokyo should repent and provide compensation for its mobilization of Korean sex slaves during World War II.

The U.S., meanwhile, should persuade Japan to dispel South Korea's concerns, while Seoul should clearly deliver the South Korean people's stance to Tokyo and actively work with the international community to resolve the issue, according to the resolution. (Yonhap News)