Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and his rivals in the race for Japan's ruling party head may be sharply divided over how to revive the economy, but on one issue they all agree: The country's post-World War II constitution places too many restrictions on the military.
Koizumi has long sought to raise Japan's international profile by expanding the peacekeeping role for its military, which operates under tight restrictions imposed by the pacifist constitution. Under new legislation, Japanese troops can be sent to Iraq to offer medical assistance, repatriate refugees and repair buildings and roads during a four-year period.
But Koizumi said he now wants permanent changes to Article 9 -- the section that renounces Japan's right to wage war -- that would give the government authority to contribute troops to any international peacekeeping operations.
"In the future, it [a constitutional amendment] is needed," he said during a nationally televised debate yesterday ahead of the Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) presidential election.
On Saturday, Koizumi said: "Unless the constitution is revised, Japan will be unable to take part [in peacekeeping missions], even if it were to gain permanent membership on the UN Security Council."
The issue of dispatching peacekeepers has been one of the central themes in the run-up to the Sept. 20 poll for the LDP presidency. Koizumi is the clear favorite for the post, which would virtually guarantee his reappointment as prime minister because his party dominates parliament.
Since the Sept. 11 terror attacks, a growing number of Japanese lawmakers have supported changes to Article 9, until recently a taboo subject.
The government found itself hamstrung by Article 9 when it debated whether to help its closest ally, the US, in the war in Afghanistan. Parliament eventually approved anti-terror legislation to send forces to the Indian Ocean, but only for non-combat, rearguard support. The law expires on Nov. 1.
During yesterday's TV program, three other lawmakers vying for the LDP's top post also backed a broader military role.
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