Japan in Depth / Abe prepares plan for constitutional change
Even as Sunday saw the 68th anniversary of the Constitution’s enforcement, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was eyeing plans for amendment proposals at the ordinary Diet session in 2017.
The prime minister must clear three political hurdles to amend the Constitution. First, the parties in favor of the revisions must secure the support of at least a two-thirds majority in both the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors. Second, the prime minister must make a careful decision on the articles to be changed. Third, he must win over the public.
“We’ve finally reached the point where the contents of a constitutional amendment can be deliberated at the Diet,” said Hajime Funada, who is in charge of the Liberal Democratic Party’s Headquarters for the Promotion of Revision to the Constitution. He made the remark at a convention to promote the establishment of a new Constitution.
Moreover, Funada told a press conference at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan on Tuesday, “We hope to realize the first constitutional revision within two years.”
The LDP plans to compile the draft constitutional amendment through interparty talks in 2016 based on discussions at the designated commissions of both Diet chambers before presenting a proposal at the ordinary Diet session in 2017.
Constitutional change is said to be Abe’s long-cherished dream. “My hope is to work on [a revision of] the Constitution during my term,” the prime minister was quoted as telling those around him. If reelected in the LDP presidential poll in September, Abe will see his presidential term extended until September 2018, with a high likelihood of his staying in the prime minister’s post.
Since a national referendum must be held from 60 to 180 days after a constitutional amendment is proposed, an official close to Abe suggested the Constitution could be amended before the end of his term if such a move is made at the ordinary Diet session in 2017.
Which article to revise?
In the first revision, the LDP aims to add three provisions to the Constitution. The provisions address disaster response during a state of emergency; new categories of human rights, such as those concerning the environment; and the nation’s fiscal discipline.
All three issues are relatively easy for the ruling and opposition parties to agree on. The LDP hopes to change Article 9 in a subsequent amendment. The lower house Commission on the Constitution will start talks Thursday to decide which articles should be revised. The LDP plans to propose first discussing a provision on emergency situations that would allow the terms of Diet members to be extended in the event of a major disaster.
“Memories of the Great East Japan Earthquake are still fresh, and it will be easy for each party to agree to it,” said an LDP official.
The LDP aims to propose amending Article 9 — dubbed the ultimate goal of the plan for constitutional change.
To achieve constitutional change, the LDP must win over the public, as a majority of approval votes are required in the national referendum. Many party members believe that no constitutional amendment can be proposed for the time being if the first proposal is voted down by the public.
In its 2015 party position, the LDP said that it will promote a campaign to gain supporters for the constitutional revision. Since last year, the LDP has been holding town meetings around the country with Funada and other party officials giving explanations of its draft revision of the Constitution.
Japan in Depth / Abe prepares plan for constitutional change - The Japan News
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