A Japanese parliamentary committee yesterday endorsed a landmark report that urges revisions to the country's post-World War II Constitution, including changes to its pacifist provisions.
The war-renouncing Constitution -- drafted by US occupation forces and unchanged since 1947 -- bars the use of military force in settling international disputes and prohibits maintaining armed forces for warfare.
The Japanese government has interpreted that to mean the nation can maintain troops for self-defense, which have developed into one of the most modern, best-equipped militaries in the world.
The 50-member panel at parliament's more powerful Lower House endorsed the report, ending five years of discussions. The parliament's other chamber is also working on a similar report.
The report, which was submitted to the speaker of the house later yesterday, was largely aimed at discussing key principles in the Constitution and does not mean an immediate revision.
Public support for amending the Constitution has swelled as Japan raises its international military and diplomatic profile. Recent newspaper polls showed about half of the Japanese supported changing the pacifist provisions.
Japan dispatched non-combat troops to Iraq last year in its first deployment to a combat zone since 1945, and is relaxing its ban on arms exports to facilitate joint construction of a missile defense program with the US.
"The proposal by the panel wraps up our work," said panel chairman Taro Nakayama, a senior member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. "We believe the report marks a new phase in the discussions of our country's Constitution."
The 700-page report said the majority of panel members supported keeping the war-renouncing Article 9, but stressed the need to spell out the right to self-defense and the Self-Defense Forces, Kyodo News agency reported. They also agreed to specify the definition of defense emergencies and a framework for regional security in Asia.
Panel members also said the Constitution's preamble should be rewritten to reflect Japan's history, traditions and culture. They supported the constitutional principles of popular sovereignty, peace and basic human rights.
The panel also supported an amendment to allow women to assume the imperial throne, while keeping the emperor's status as the symbol of state.
FOREST SITE: A rescue helicopter spotted the burning fuselage of the plane in a forested area, with rescue personnel saying they saw no evidence of survivors A passenger plane carrying nearly 50 people crashed yesterday in a remote spot in Russia’s far eastern region of Amur, with no immediate signs of survivors, authorities said. The aircraft, a twin-propeller Antonov-24 operated by Angara Airlines, was headed to the town of Tynda from the city of Blagoveshchensk when it disappeared from radar at about 1pm. A rescue helicopter later spotted the burning fuselage of the plane on a forested mountain slope about 16km from Tynda. Videos published by Russian investigators showed what appeared to be columns of smoke billowing from the wreckage of the plane in a dense, forested area. Rescuers in
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr is to meet US President Donald Trump this week, hoping Manila’s status as a key Asian ally would secure a more favorable trade deal before the deadline on Friday next week. Marcos would be the first Southeast Asian leader to meet Trump in his second term. Trump has already struck trade deals with two of Manila’s regional partners, Vietnam and Indonesia, driving tough bargains in trade talks even with close allies that Washington needs to keep onside in its strategic rivalry with China. “I expect our discussions to focus on security and defense, of course, but also
POINTING FINGERS: The two countries have accused each other of firing first, with Bangkok accusing Phnom Penh of targeting civilian infrastructure, including a hospital Thai acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai yesterday warned that cross-border clashes with Cambodia that have uprooted more than 130,000 people “could develop into war,” as the countries traded deadly strikes for a second day. A long-running border dispute erupted into intense fighting with jets, artillery, tanks and ground troops on Thursday, and the UN Security Council was set to hold an emergency meeting on the crisis yesterday. A steady thump of artillery strikes could be heard from the Cambodian side of the border, where the province of Oddar Meanchey reported that one civilian — a 70-year-old man — had been killed and
‘OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE’: Antonio Costa and Ursula von der Leyen are to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss EU-China relations and geopolitical challenges Top leaders from China and the EU are to hold a summit in Beijing this week, as the major economic powers seek to smooth over disputes ranging from trade to the Ukraine conflict. Beijing and Brussels have been gearing up to mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties, but a suite of squabbles over state subsidies, market access and wartime sanctions have dampened the festivities. A spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday confirmed that European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen would visit on Thursday. The statement came after the EU
RSS