Justice minister quits as vice chair of parliamentarian group promoting constitutional revision

Justice Minister Nozawa Taizo on April 1st resigned from the post of vice chair of the Parliamentarians League for Constitutional Research, a group that has been pushing for the adverse revision of the pacifist Constitution.

The group is composed of 317 lawmakers mainly from the Liberal Democratic, Democratic, and Komei parties.

He announced this at the House of Councilors Judicial Affairs Committee meeting in reply to JCP representative Inoue Satoshi, who said that Nozawa's assuming the post of such an anti-constitutional organization is in conflict with his being the Justice Minister responsible for maintaining law and order.

Nozawa explained that when he had been the chair of the Upper House Research Committee on the Constitution, he accepted the request from the group and took the post but that he resigned from the post.

Akahata on March 31 reported Nozawa's election as vice chair of the Parliamentarians League for Constitutional Research at its general assembly held on March 30 in Tokyo.

"This is a serious matter," Akahata said on March 31 because the justice minister is responsible for maintaining law and order, and his taking the lead in a campaign to adversely revise the Constitution will undermine the public trust in the judicial system.

The parliamentarian group's stated aim is to "promote discussion of a new constitution for a new era." In 2001, the group compiled a draft bill on procedures for a national referendum necessary for the constitutional revision, and is planning to submit it to the Diet.

Soon after he became the justice minister last November, Nozawa said, "Isn't it appropriate to review the Constitution?" He came under criticism when he suggested that the war-renouncing Article 9 needs to be reviewed to enable Japan to exercise the right of collective self-defense

The group's assembly elected Nakayama Taro (LDP) as chair. Former DPJ representative Hatoyama Yukio, Komei Party chair Kanzaki Toshio, and other influential Dietmembers of the LDP, Komei, and DPJ were among the advisers. This line-up represents how these parties are competing with each other for taking credit for the constitutional revision.

Of the league's 334 lawmakers, 216 (LDP), 87 (DPJ), and 12 (Komei) lawmakers plus some independents, 317 in all took part in the assembly. The total number of Diet seats in both houses is 727. (end)