Japan Press Weekly

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2012 October 3 - 9 [POLITICS]

New LDP President Abe distanced from public opinion

Liberal Democratic Party President Abe Shinzo’s ideas, seeking a radical action in dealing with the question of Senkakus and Tekeshima in addition to calling for constitutional revision and political intervention in education, are far from what the general public has in mind.

Abe is aiming to have Article 96 of the Constitution revised, which sets out the conditions and procedures for constitutional revision.

He presented this aspiration during a meeting held on September 30 by a local branch of the Japan Conference (Nippon Kaigi), a rightist organization justifying Japan’s past war of aggression.

Abe at the meeting said, “(While in power) I succeeded in rewriting the fundamental law of education to include teaching patriotism, and my next target is the Constitution.” He added, “I’d like Dietmembers opposing constitutional revision to leave the Diet.”

Article 96 of the Constitution requires the support of more than two-thirds of all Dietmembers of each House before allowing any proposal to put procedures for revising the Constitution into force.

“Nippon Ishin-no-Kai” led by Osaka City Mayor Hashimoto Toru, also calling for an amendment to the article, has great expectations in Abe.

Regarding the question of the Senkakus, Takeshima, and the four northern islands, the newly-elected LDP head said, “An important thing for Japan is to demonstrate (to adverse parties) the willingness to use physical force and to send (them) a message that this can be done based on the Japan-U.S. alliance.”

He furthermore stated, “Japan is an ally of the United States. U.S. soldiers risk their lives for Japan. I’ll establish Japan’s right to collective self-defense on the basis of an equal and committed relationship with the U.S.”

What enabled such a person to be elected as the head of the LDP again? The Mainichi Shimbun on September 29 quoted Hirasawa Katsuei, an LDP member of the Lower House who said, “The LDP used to have five million members eligible to vote in presidential elections but it now has less than 800,000 members. The remaining members are considered to be very conservative, and so their positions differ from the general public.”

A Kyodo News opinion poll conducted on October 1 and 2 shows that 52.4% of respondents answered they do “not place hopes” on the new LDP leadership. A Mainichi poll surveyed on September 29 and 30, showed that 55% did “not expect much” from Abe.

An LDP lawmaker confessed, “Abe’s reelection will not gain much popular support.”