February 7, 2016
Rightist groups, along with the Liberal Democratic Party, have been intensifying efforts to urge prefectural assemblies to adopt written opinions calling for constitutional amendments. The Japanese Communist Party and local citizens groups are opposing this move.
The Japan Conference (Nippon Kaigi), a major right-wing organization, in its national convention in November 2013 proposed utilizing prefectural assemblies as a tool to add momentum to their campaign for a revised Constitution. Three months later, the Ishikawa Prefectural Assembly approved an opinion statement in this regard. This was the first of this kind.
In a bid to support the Japan Conference, LDP headquarters in March 2014 instructed its local federations to start working for the adoption of written opinions by local assemblies calling for constitutional amendments. As a result, assemblies of Ishikawa, Osaka, and 23 other prefectures in 2014 adopted such a statement and eight prefectures, including Tokyo and Kyoto, followed suit in 2015. An anti-constitutional group, in which the Japan Conference joins, at its meeting in November 2015 decided to work to have all 47 prefectural assemblies adopt an opinion concerning the issue.
The rightist group’s written-opinion push appears to be gaining public support as a total of 33 prefectural assemblies gave their approval, but actually it is not. By convention, local lawmakers refrain from introducing to the assembly a draft opinion which has little chance of being endorsed by all parties. Despite this, the LDP in the 33 assemblies submitted draft opinions on the controversial issue and forcibly took a vote on them in defiance of strong protest from the JCP and opposition from the Democratic and Komei parties in some cases.
In order to counter the move by the Japan Conference, pro-constitutional organizations, democratic groups, and lawyers groups in each prefecture have expressed their opposition by making representations to local assemblies.
The Japan Conference (Nippon Kaigi), a major right-wing organization, in its national convention in November 2013 proposed utilizing prefectural assemblies as a tool to add momentum to their campaign for a revised Constitution. Three months later, the Ishikawa Prefectural Assembly approved an opinion statement in this regard. This was the first of this kind.
In a bid to support the Japan Conference, LDP headquarters in March 2014 instructed its local federations to start working for the adoption of written opinions by local assemblies calling for constitutional amendments. As a result, assemblies of Ishikawa, Osaka, and 23 other prefectures in 2014 adopted such a statement and eight prefectures, including Tokyo and Kyoto, followed suit in 2015. An anti-constitutional group, in which the Japan Conference joins, at its meeting in November 2015 decided to work to have all 47 prefectural assemblies adopt an opinion concerning the issue.
The rightist group’s written-opinion push appears to be gaining public support as a total of 33 prefectural assemblies gave their approval, but actually it is not. By convention, local lawmakers refrain from introducing to the assembly a draft opinion which has little chance of being endorsed by all parties. Despite this, the LDP in the 33 assemblies submitted draft opinions on the controversial issue and forcibly took a vote on them in defiance of strong protest from the JCP and opposition from the Democratic and Komei parties in some cases.
In order to counter the move by the Japan Conference, pro-constitutional organizations, democratic groups, and lawyers groups in each prefecture have expressed their opposition by making representations to local assemblies.
