Constitutional revision advocates taking offensive on two fronts

Japan Press Weekly

Japan Press Service Co., Ltd. is the only news agency providing information of progressive, democratic movements in Japan

Constitutional revision advocates taking offensive on two fronts

May 3 will mark the 61st anniversary of the coming into force of the Constitution.

Several political groups advocating revision of the Constitution are planning to hold rallies to get the Deliberative Council on the Constitution to begin discussing a draft revised Constitution in the Diet and to launch a campaign to heighten the public awareness of the need to revise the Constitution.

The 191-member Parliamentarian Group for a New Constitution will hold a rally in Tokyo in May. It is chaired by former Prime Minister Nakasone Yasuhiro and consists of politicians of the Liberal Democratic, Democratic, Komei, and People’s New parties.

With the slogan: “For a constitution rich in Japanese history, culture, and traditions,” the group is calling for nationalism and the remaking of Japan into a nation that can wage wars under the rubric of nationalism.

Business leaders from the Japan Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren), the Japan Association of Corporate Executives (Keizaidoyukai), and the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) will attend the conference.

Another rightist group, “The National Conference for a New Constitution” (Hori Wataru, the director), will hold a public assembly on May 3 to make their call for constitutional revision heard.

An executive of this group stated, “These two groups are sharing roles. While the Parliamentarian Group is responsible for promoting debates at the Deliberative Council on the Constitution in both chambers of the Diet, we are tasked to accelerate a grassroots campaign calling for constitutional revision in opposition to the Article 9 Association.”

The idea of organizing “grass-roots campaigns” was put forward by Aichi Kazuo, the secretary general of the Parliamentarian Group, at the group’s general meeting, who emphasized that “confrontation with the Article 9 Association will be the main concern of our activities.”

A forum on the Constitution is also planned by the Council of Intellectuals on Japan and the Constitution in the 21st Century, a private sector study group chaired by former Education Minister Miura Shumon and composed mainly of the Japan League/Conference and other “pro-Yasukuni Shrine forces” who hold a ultra-rightist view of history. This group is calling on the Diet to begin discussing constitutional revision at the Deliberative Councils in both houses.

However, recent opinion polls show that public support for constitutional revision, specifically Article 9, is in decline.

Prime Minister Abe Shinzo, who resigned in September last year, called for constitutional revision to be given priority. The forces for constitutional revision are following Abe’s position and are desperately trying to take the counter-offensive.

- Akahata, April 7, 2008