 JCP criticizes commission's draft report for attempting constitutional revision At the House of Representatives Research Commission on the Constitution meeting on March 29, a Japanese Communist Party lawmaker criticized the commission's draft report that summarized the five years of its activities and called for revision of the Constitution by overriding the commission's task. The report specifically put emphasis on calls for Article 9 to be amended to establish the "collective right of self-defense" and the right to maintain the "Self-Defense Forces." Speaking on behalf of the JCP, Yamaguchi Tomio stated: The draft is in line with the Liberal Democratic Party's argument calling for constitutional revision, deliberately summing up the commissioners' discussion in that direction. It is aimed at paving the way for procedures of constitutional revision by including issues of a national referendum and the establishment of a permanent parliamentary body to deal with questions concerning the Constitution. The draft took up items on which more than 20 lawmakers spoke in the commission, and regarded those who spoke in favor as the "majority" when they represented double the number of those against. The draft is almost the same as the interim report of the LDP's drafting committee. Concerning the Preamble, it refers to the "history, tradition, and culture that are peculiar to Japan," and it just argues on pros and cons on "international cooperation" regarding the "right of collective self-defense." It is far from a comprehensive summary of the panel discussion, reported Akahata. The JCP and the Social Democratic Party objected to the LDP proposal for developing the present parliamentary research commission on the Constitution into one of discussing constitutional revision and a national referendum law. JCP Yamaguchi insisted that the commission end all its activities after submitting its final report to the Diet. (end) |