Japan’s move to expand the role of its armed forces has left both veterans and fighting families uneasy in a pacifist country unsure whether a…

Japan’s move to expand the role of its armed forces has left both veterans and fighting families uneasy in a pacifist country unsure whether a military that has never fired a bullet in anger is ready for combat

Since the carnage of World War II, Japan’s Self-Defense Forces (SDF) have been banned from waging any kind of combat beyond defence of the nation thanks to a US-imposed 1947 constitution

As a result, Japan’s post war troops have never shot a bullet at an enemy, or been felled by one in a foreign land -- a track record many are proud of

But in September the government of nationalist Prime Minister Shinzo Abe rammed through legislation allowing the nation’s troops to fight abroad

It caused significant uproar both at home and overseas, especially among regional neighbours, including China and Korea, which suffered under Japan’s wartime aggression

The legislation will give the government the power to send the military into overseas conflicts to defend allies, even if Japan itself is not under attack

Abe sees an increasingly muscular and flexible military as necessary to protect against an increasingly powerful China and unpredictable North Korea

But opponents fear the vague wording could see Japan dragged into far-flung foreign conflicts similar to the US invasions of Iraq or Afghanistan while regional neighbours who suffered under Japanese occupation, particularly China and Korea, are incensed

"I feel more apprehension than relief over the legislation," explained one mother whose husband is stationed at a ground forces base on Tokyo’s outskirts

"When I talked about the issue with my husband, he said he would have to go wherever if an order was issued. But for family members, it’s an extremely worrisome development," she added, asking AFP not to use her name for fear of any backlash

But another army wife in her 40s said she believed the legislation would beef up Japan’s security by strengthening the country’s alliance with the United States, which welcomed Abe’s move

It would also, she said, embolden Japanese soldiers to protect themselves if they came under fire during peacekeeping operations

That means Japanese troops "may have to be deployed close to battlefields," thereby increasing the risk of losing their lives or killing others even if they are on logistical support missions, he said

Whether a sceptical Japanese public -- or the military themselves -- would accept coffins returning home draped in white and red flags remains to be seen

"My former colleagues tend to say they can’t simply die for an uncertain amount of compensation for their families and...for ambiguous causes with public opinion divided," Takao Izutsu, a 45-year-old former ground SDF ranger, told AFP

"If all the Japanese people praise the SDF for what they were asked to do that’s a consolation, but a majority of people are against the legislation. What’s the point of sacrificing your life?"