Earlier on Saturday, the Japanese upper house of parliament approved a package of security bills overturning Japan’s pacifist constitution and paving way toward its military deployment abroad.
"Japan’s recent military buildup and drastic changes to its security policies are out of step with the contemporary trends of peace, development and cooperation," Hong said, as cited on the Foreign Ministry’s website.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government introduced the legislation to parliament in May, triggering nationwide demonstrations and accusations that he was using it as a pretext for involving Japan in international armed conflicts.
The new legislation abolishes Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution that renounces the use of force in settling international disputes. It allows Japan’s co-called Self-Defense Forces to be sent overseas for the first time since World War II.
