DPJ seeks a change in constitutional interpretations for collective defense purposes

Japan Press Weekly

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

DPJ seeks a change in constitutional interpretations for collective defense purposes

Remarks Prime Minister Hatoyama Yukio and Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirano Hirofumi made on constitutional interpretations of Japan’s use of the right to collective self-defense or the use of force abroad are causing repercussions throughout the country.

At a news conference on November 4, Hirano implied that present government interpretations on the war-renouncing Constitution could be changed in future. He said, “In a changing world, we will decide on constitutional interpretations each time we have to decide on how to respond to a given situation.”

Later in the day, Hatoyama said to reporters, “You can say that constitutional interpretations are not something that can never be changed, but we should be extremely careful about it.” He did not rule out changing interpretations in the future. He also said, “It is the responsibility of the cabinet to decide whether or not to adopt” conventional interpretations of the Constitution.

However, Hatotama earlier in the day at a House of Representatives Budget Committee meeting stated, “I’m not going to change (what successive governments have interpreted) in my administration.”

DPJ Secretary General Ozawa Ichiro promotes the theory that the use of force as a member of U.N. forces does not violate the Constitution. The DPJ itself also used to say that the exercise of force abroad based on a U.N. resolution is constitutional and that the party “will start working on a change in constitutional interpretations” when it comes to power.

- Akahata, November 6, 2009