Japan’s lower house of parliament has approved legislation to allow Japanese troops to fight abroad for the first time since World War II. The vote came one day after as many as 100,000 people gathered near the parliament to protest the move. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has pushed for the nation’s pacifist constitution to be rewritten.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe: “The security situation surrounding Japan is becoming increasingly challenging. With this in mind, it is an absolutely necessary legislation to protect the lives of the Japanese and also to prevent the country from going to war.”