Constitutional amendments planned by Japanese PM
Source: AFP |
February 1, 2013, Friday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
JAPANESE Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told lawmakers yesterday he intends to change the post-WWII constitution that imposed pacifism on the country.
Abe has long harbored ambitions to rewrite a document supporters say is a bulwark against the militarism that blighted Asia last century.
"I will start with amending Article 96 of the constitution," Abe told upper house lawmakers, referring to a clause stipulating that amendments require a two-thirds majority in parliament.
In the run-up to polls, Abe said he wanted to study the possibility of altering the constitution's definition of Japan's armed forces.
The well-funded and well-equipped military - one of the world's most technologically-advanced - is referred to as the Self-Defense Forces, and barred from taking aggressive action.
Abe said before the election he would look into making the SDF a full-fledged military, but the suggestion sounds alarm bells in Asian countries subject to Japan's brutal military adventurism of the past.
US occupying forces imposed the constitution on Japan in the aftermath of World War II, but its war-renouncing Article Nine became part of the fabric of national life, engendering a pacifism that remains dear to many Japanese.
Retiree Kazuo Shimamura said Japan's suffering in WWII was reason enough not to change.
"I want the constitution to stay as it is to prevent new wars from happening," he said.
But critics say a pledge that "land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained" ties Tokyo's hands at a time of growing regional unease.
Abe told parliament he wants to set up a Japanese version of Washington's National Security Council, tasked with the gathering and analysis of information.
"It is unavoidable that we strengthen Japan's security arrangements to protect our national interest and ensure the safety of our people in the increasingly complex international situation," he said.
Abe's father was a World War II cabinet member and later prime minister.
Tetsuro Kato, professor of politics at Waseda University, said any change would represent a big shift for a generation that embraced post-war democracy, adding it would also prove problematic abroad.
"South Korean newspapers, especially, focused on Abe's plans for constitutional reform during the election campaign," he said.
Constitutional amendments in Japan require a two-thirds majority of lawmakers in both houses, and must be ratified by a referendum, where they can pass with a simple majority of those voting.
The LDP and its coalition partner New Komeito have a more-than two-thirds majority in the lower house, but the dovish junior party is wary about amendments.
The less powerful upper house is controlled by no single party, but elections for half of the seats there must be held later this year.
Shoichi Koseki, a constitutional history expert at Dokkyo University, said lowering the bar for amendments could create instability, allowing the constitution to change with every new government.
Abe has long harbored ambitions to rewrite a document supporters say is a bulwark against the militarism that blighted Asia last century.
"I will start with amending Article 96 of the constitution," Abe told upper house lawmakers, referring to a clause stipulating that amendments require a two-thirds majority in parliament.
In the run-up to polls, Abe said he wanted to study the possibility of altering the constitution's definition of Japan's armed forces.
The well-funded and well-equipped military - one of the world's most technologically-advanced - is referred to as the Self-Defense Forces, and barred from taking aggressive action.
Abe said before the election he would look into making the SDF a full-fledged military, but the suggestion sounds alarm bells in Asian countries subject to Japan's brutal military adventurism of the past.
US occupying forces imposed the constitution on Japan in the aftermath of World War II, but its war-renouncing Article Nine became part of the fabric of national life, engendering a pacifism that remains dear to many Japanese.
Retiree Kazuo Shimamura said Japan's suffering in WWII was reason enough not to change.
"I want the constitution to stay as it is to prevent new wars from happening," he said.
But critics say a pledge that "land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained" ties Tokyo's hands at a time of growing regional unease.
Abe told parliament he wants to set up a Japanese version of Washington's National Security Council, tasked with the gathering and analysis of information.
"It is unavoidable that we strengthen Japan's security arrangements to protect our national interest and ensure the safety of our people in the increasingly complex international situation," he said.
Abe's father was a World War II cabinet member and later prime minister.
Tetsuro Kato, professor of politics at Waseda University, said any change would represent a big shift for a generation that embraced post-war democracy, adding it would also prove problematic abroad.
"South Korean newspapers, especially, focused on Abe's plans for constitutional reform during the election campaign," he said.
Constitutional amendments in Japan require a two-thirds majority of lawmakers in both houses, and must be ratified by a referendum, where they can pass with a simple majority of those voting.
The LDP and its coalition partner New Komeito have a more-than two-thirds majority in the lower house, but the dovish junior party is wary about amendments.
The less powerful upper house is controlled by no single party, but elections for half of the seats there must be held later this year.
Shoichi Koseki, a constitutional history expert at Dokkyo University, said lowering the bar for amendments could create instability, allowing the constitution to change with every new government.
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