Japan Press Weekly

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2013 September 4 - 10 [POLITICS]

DPJ Edano’s proposal leads to use of right to collective self-defense: JCP Ichida

The former ruling Democratic Party of Japan’s heavyweight, Edano Yukio, recently published his personal amendment to the pacifist Constitution. Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Ichida Tadayoshi criticized his proposal on September 9 for intending to pave the way for the exercise of the right to collective self-defense.

The DPJ lawmaker contributed his “personal proposal” for revision of the Constitution to the October issue of the monthly magazine Bungeishunju. In the essay, he argues that the war-renouncing Article 9 of the Constitution should have some additional clauses to allow the country to possess military forces, exercise the right to collective self-defense, and take part in UN and multinational forces operations.

Edano, an ex-secretary-general of the DPJ, has just taken up his new position as chair of the party’s research committee on the Constitution.

Japan’s successive governments have so far stated that the Self-Defense Forces are not “military forces” and that the use of armed force overseas as well as the collective self-defense right is “unconstitutional” in light of Article 9.

JCP Ichida said at a press conference, “The proposal is dangerous as it shares the same goal with the Abe administration to turn Japan into a nation which can make war abroad alongside the United States.”