 Shii calls for forming majority to prevent adverse constitutional revision Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo at a news conference on April 15 published the following statement on the House of Representatives Research Commission on the Constitution's report approved on the same day: The biggest problem is that the report is oriented toward revising the Constitution. The Research Commission on the Constitution was established as a body specifically to carry out broad and comprehensive research on the Japanese Constitution. It had been agreed that the report would summarize the discussions and results of research. It is unjustifiable for the report to deviate from these agreements. It is not acceptable to use this report to bind future parliamentary discussions on the Constitution. The deliberate attempt to use the report to direct parliamentary discussion towards constitutional revision is present everywhere in the report. It states on Article 9: There were opinions affirmative of making some reference in the Constitution to the right of self-defense and the Self-Defense Forces. There were many opinions calling for Japan's participation in the United Nations collective security activities, without limiting them to non-military fields. These statements are unacceptable because they are intended to revise Article 9 to allow the SDF to use force abroad. In the section on "future constitutional discussions," the report says that there were many opinions calling for a permanent parliamentary body to be set up to deal with constitutional questions. It further states that there were opinions that this body should also be referred to as functioning over a bill for constitutional revision procedural bill. The Japanese Communist Party is opposed to these proposals because they will open a path to constitutional revision. Since the Research Commission on the Constitution has finished its research, it should be dissolved immediately. "Majority" as referred to in the report is what takes place in the Diet alone, which is greatly different from public opinion. The JCP is determined to do its utmost to form among the people an unwavering majority opposed to an adverse revision of the Constitution. (Akahata April 16, 2005) |