Japan Press Weekly

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2018 March 21 - 27 [POLITICS]

LDP will soon start work on constitutionalizing SDF

The Liberal Democratic Party leadership has decided to leave its drafting work on a new Article 9 up to Hosoda Hiroyuki, who heads the party's constitutional reform taskforce, after high-handedly stifling objections from some of its Dietmembers.

Hosoda will soon work on a draft to add text to Article 9 in order to constitutionalize the Self-Defense Forces as an "armed organization" which can "take necessary self-defense measures", but Clause 2 of Article 9 which bans Japan's possession of war potential will be retained.

Regarding the LDP's decision on the drafting work left to Hosoda's discretion, Japanese Communist Party Policy Commission Chair Kasai Akira on March 23 said, "The LDP is desperate to create new clauses at any cost," adding, "However, the party was unable to create a consensus within the party."

In the Diet building, Kasai said, "Prime Minister Abe Shinzo repeatedly says, 'The SDF activities will stay unchanged as long as the second clause remains,' but that's not true."

He told the press that amendments to Article 9 "will invalidate the article's second paragraph and turn it into a dead letter" so as to allow the SDF "to use force abroad without restriction".

He continued to say, "The political agenda that needs to be focused on now is not
a legitimizing reference to the SDF in Article 9, but thorough investigations into the scandal involving the dubious state-owned land deal with Moritomo Gakuen."

Past related articles:
> Local dailies in their New Year editorials criticize Abe’s ambition to undermine Constitution [January 6, 2018]
> PM Abe in New Year’s address expresses intent to step up attack on Article 9 [January 5, 2018]