Japan Press Weekly

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2014 June 11 - 17 TOP3 [POLITICS]

Requirements for national referendum on constitutional revisions eased

The House of Councilors at its plenary session on June 13 forced through the enactment of a bill to revise the law on procedures for constitutional revision as a preliminary step forward toward removing the war-renouncing Article 9 of the Constitution. The Japanese Communist Party and the Social Democratic Party opposed the revised procedural law.

The new law will facilitate putting a national referendum into practice regarding amendments to the wording of the Constitution, laying the groundwork for a war-capable Japan as the Abe government aspires to create.

JCP Dietmember Nihi Sohei before the vote delivered a speech opposing the bill.

The lawmaker pointed out that the bill sets no minimum voter turnout required for a referendum to be valid, paving the way for a draft revision of the Constitution to be passed with the consent of only 10-20% of all eligible voters.

The bill widely restricts public employees’ and public school teachers’ freedom of expression and their participation in movements to increase public awareness of the national referendum with penalties possibly imposed for disobedience. Nihi argued that this will cause a chilling effect on the people as sovereign.

The bill has a mechanism advantageous to constitutional revisionists to carry out publicity activities and advertisements for the draft revision of the Constitution. The JCP legislator criticized this mechanism as extremely unfair and undemocratic because it will make it easier for the draft revision to be approved with less hurdles. He stated that this will violate the principle of popular sovereignty and Article 96 of the Constitution which sets procedural requirements for constitutional revision.

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With only two days of discussions, the House of Representative plenary session on the same day passed through a bill to set up a standing “secret” session in the Diet in regard to national secrets for the first time since the war’s end. The government late last year forcibly enacted the State Secrets Protection Law in defiance of public opposition, and now seeks to incorporate the National Diet into the governmental secrecy system in order to put the law into effect.

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After the Upper House plenary session, a protest rally took place at a meeting place inside the Diet Building. Protest Organizer Takada Ken said, “Let’s inform as many people as possible of the problems inherent in the procedural law to revise the Constitution in combination with the movement against a change in the conventional constitutional interpretations.” Participants confirmed their resolve to continue to work to defend Article 9 and maintain peace. JCP Dietmembers Nihi, Kira Yoshiko, and Inoue Satoshi also took part in the rally.

Past related article:
> Shii calls for scrapping bill to help destroy pacifist Constitution [May 10, 2014]
> Pro-amendment lawmakers hold perfunctory discussion on referendum bill regarding constitutional revision [May 9, 2014]
> Who profits from the revision of National Referendum Law? [April 11, 2014]