Japan Press Weekly

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2017 October 25 - 31 [POLITICS]

Longing for Article 9 revision, advisor to PM Abe thanks Hope Party for breaking up DP

Special Advisor to the Prime Minister Eto Seiichi, the closest aide to Abe, said, "We've got the timing from above," to change Article 9 of the Constitution thanks to Koike Yuriko, the head of the Hope Party.

Eto made this remark at a rally held on October 25 by an organization called the National Society to Create a Constitution for a Beautiful Japan which is actually a front group of the largest rightist Nippon Kaigi (Japan Conference). Several pro-revision public figures along with lawmakers from the Liberal Democratic Party and the Ishin no Kai participated in this gathering.

Eto said that he thought Article 9 amendments cannot come about without even a passive agreement from the DP or without the breakup of the DP. However, he added, "Thanks to Ms. Koike, the DP was split in two (revisionists and supporters)." In addition, constitution revisionists retained two-thirds of the parliamentary seats as a result of the October 22 general election. These facts pleased Eto and "the timing from above" supposedly popped out of his mouth. Then he asserted, "I will do my best so that amendments to the Constitution can be proposed to the Diet."

The rally adopted a resolution calling on pro-revision political parties to present their draft constitutions to the Diet by proclaiming that it is "the popular will" that led the politicians supporting constitutional reform to win 80% of Lower House seats.