Japan Press Weekly

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2016 June 15 - 21 [POLITICS]

Abe’s ambition for constitutional revision emerges as hot election issue

With the announcement of the Upper House election three days away, on June 19, a debate between political party leaders was held in Tokyo by the video sharing website “niconico”. In the discussions, it has become clear that the major point at issue in this election is whether to allow Prime Minister Abe Shinzo to achieve his ambition to undermine the pacifist Constitution.

PM Abe, the President of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said, “The LDP’s campaign platform states that the party will work to revise the Japanese Constitution. In the next Diet session following the election, I hope that both Houses’ Commissions on the Constitution will reopen the debate over how and which articles should be amended.”

The leaders of the four opposition parties – the Japanese Communist, Democratic, Social Democratic, and People’s Life parties – all voiced objections to a constitutional amendment.

JCP Chair Shii Kazuo pointed out that the LDP-drafted constitution replaced the second paragraph of Article 9 of the current Constitution declaring the abandonment of war potential with a new clause to maintain “national defense forces”. He went on to note that the draft also enables the government to restrict fundamental human rights under the pretext of “defending the public interest”.

“In the first place, the Constitution is supposed to place restraints on state power. On the contrary, the LDP draft constitution intends to place restraints on the general public. The most critical issue of this election is whether to allow such an outrageous draft constitution to even be considered,” Shii stressed.

Yamaguchi Natsuo, head of the Komei Party, the LDP’s junior coalition partner, said that the issue of constitutional amendment would not be a campaign issue as lawmakers have yet to hold detailed discussions on that matter. Matsui Ichiro, representative of the Initiatives from Osaka (Osaka Ishin no Kai), highlighted the need to revise the war-renouncing Article 9, making it clear that his party is acting as a complementary force supporting the governing coalition.

Past related article:
> Abe wants to accomplish constitutional revision while still in office [March 3, 2016]