Japan Press Weekly

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2007 June 6 - 12 [ELECTION]

LDP election platform pledges to have Diet propose constitutional revision in 2010

Based on Prime Minister Abe Shinzo’s vision, the Liberal Democratic Party on June 5 announced its House of Councilors election campaign pledge which declared that the party would lead the Diet to propose a constitutional revision in 2010. It is the first time for the LDP to declare in its campaign pledge a time-frame to revise the Constitution.

The document states, “The LDP will take the lead in discussions in the Constitutional Deliberative Council to be set up in both Houses in the next Diet session, make efforts to have the Diet propose a constitutional revision in 2010, and wage a national campaign to promote an adoption of a new constitution so that the draft constitution can be ratified in a national referendum.”

Concerning the right of collective self-defense, it emphasizes the need to make clear the constitutionality of exercising the right as well as to reestablish the legal basis for national security.

The LDP is also advocating a tighter state control over education by stating, “New systems of requiring teachers to renew their teaching licenses and preventing unqualified teachers from teaching in schools will be smoothly implemented. Children will be taught proper norms and decorum.”

As for the “missing pension premium payment records” over which the Abe Cabinet is facing strong public criticism, the document insists that the government will complete the work to identify pension record holders within a year. However, its policy falls short of the public need since it evades state responsibility for this problem and shifts the responsibility onto the public to prove that they actually paid the premiums.

Concerning the taxation, it presents a plan to begin full-scale discussions on a consumption tax increase after the election and to submit a bill next year. “We will hold full-fledged and concrete discussions as early as possible after autumn of this year and carry out in FY 2007 a drastic reform of the taxation system, including the consumption tax,” it stated. - Akahata, June 6, 2007