Japan marked the 67th anniversary of its post-World War II constitution on Saturday with growing debate over whether to revise the pacifist charter in line with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s push for an expanded role for the military.
The ruling conservative party has long advocated revision, but been unable to sway public opinion. Now Abe is proposing that the government reinterpret the constitution to give the military more prominence without having to win public approval for the revisions.
His push, backed by the US which wants Japan to bear a greater burden of its own defense, has upset some liberals, who see it as undermining the constitution and democratic processes.
Hundreds of people gathered at a Tokyo rally commemorating Constitution Day, a national holiday in Japan.
“We citizens must stand up, take action and raise our voice to stop Abe, or this country could return to a Japan that wages war with Asia as it has done before,” protest organizer Ken Takada said.
Written under US direction after World War II, the 1947 constitution says the Japanese people “forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation,” and that “land, sea and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained.”
That ban has been relaxed over the years with US encouragement as the Cold War unfolded and the US sought allies in Asia, allowing Japan to have a military to defend itself, dubbed a Self-Defense Force.
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party has long denounced the postwar constitution as one imposed by the US, which occupied Japan from the end of World War II until 1952.
Abe’s grandfather and role model Nobusuke Kishi — who was arrested as a suspected war criminal, but never charged, and later became prime minister — was among vocal opponents of the constitution.
Abe advocates a “breakaway from the postwar regime” as a way to overcome the humiliation associated with the occupation, as well as the educational system, social values and historical views set by the occupation.
A 2012 draft revision proposed by Liberal Democrats promotes a conformist Japan with traditional patriarchal values, which place family units above individuals and elevate the emperor to a head of state. Civil liberties such as freedom of speech and expression can be restricted if considered harmful to public interest, the draft said.
“Our goal is to write a new constitution of our own that envisions a new era and serves a new role,” Yasuhiro Nakasone, a 96-year-old former prime minister who heads a group of lawmakers campaigning for a revision, said last week at a Tokyo gathering attended by hundreds of lawmakers, supporters and business lobbies.
With potential military threats coming from China and North Korea, Abe wants to raise Japan’s defense posture further, as well as allow the country to play a greater role in international peacekeeping.
Amending the constitution requires two-thirds approval in both houses of parliament followed by a referendum. Surveys show mixed opinions to revising the constitution with a growing opposition over what is seen as the Abe government’s attempt to force through the change.
Abe and other supporters of the change believe that Japan’s current policy is inadequate. They say US warships may come under attack while in or near Japan, or there may be instances in which Japanese troops have to fight during international peacekeeping missions. To do that, Japan would have to exercise a right known as collective self-defense.
An Abe-appointed panel of defense experts is currently finalizing a recommendation to allow collective self-defense, expected later this month, which could pave the way for a Cabinet approval.
CONFRONTATION: The water cannon attack was the second this month on the Philippine supply boat ‘Unaizah May 4,’ after an incident on March 5 The China Coast Guard yesterday morning blocked a Philippine supply vessel and damaged it with water cannons near a reef off the Southeast Asian country, the Philippines said. The Philippine military released video of what it said was a nearly hour-long attack off the Second Thomas Shoal (Renai Shoal, 仁愛暗沙) in the contested South China Sea, where Chinese ships have unleashed water cannons and collided with Philippine vessels in similar standoffs in the past few months. The China Coast Guard and other vessels “once again harassed, blocked, deployed water cannons, and executed dangerous maneuvers” against a routine rotation and resupply mission to
GLOBAL COMBAT AIR PROGRAM: The potential purchasers would be limited to the 15 nations with which Tokyo has signed defense partnership and equipment transfer deals Japan’s Cabinet yesterday approved a plan to sell future next-generation fighter jets that it is developing with the UK and Italy to other nations, in the latest move away from the country’s post-World War II pacifist principles. The contentious decision to allow international arms sales is expected to help secure Japan’s role in the joint fighter jet project, and is part of a move to build up the Japanese arms industry and bolster its role in global security. The Cabinet also endorsed a revision to Japan’s arms equipment and technology transfer guidelines to allow coproduced lethal weapons to be sold to nations
‘POLITICAL EARTHQUAKE’: Leo Varadkar said he was ‘no longer the best person’ to lead the nation and was stepping down for political, as well as personal, reasons Leo Varadkar on Wednesday announced that he was stepping down as Ireland’s prime minister and leader of the Fine Gael party in the governing coalition, citing “personal and political” reasons. Pundits called the surprise move, just 10 weeks before Ireland holds European Parliament and local elections, a “political earthquake.” A general election has to be held within a year. Irish Deputy Prime Minister Micheal Martin, leader of Fianna Fail, the main coalition partner, said Varadkar’s announcement was “unexpected,” but added that he expected the government to run its full term. An emotional Varadkar, who is in his second stint as prime minister and at
Thousands of devotees, some in a state of trance, gathered at a Buddhist temple on the outskirts of Bangkok renowned for sacred tattoos known as Sak Yant, paying their respects to a revered monk who mastered the practice and seeking purification. The gathering at Wat Bang Phra Buddhist temple is part of a Thai Wai Khru ritual in which devotees pay homage to Luang Phor Pern, the temple’s formal abbot, who died in 2002. He had a reputation for refining and popularizing the temple’s Sak Yant tattoo style. The idea that tattoos confer magical powers has existed in many parts of Asia