Japan's parliament yesterday laid the groundwork for amending the pacifist Constitution, handing Prime Minister Shinzo Abe a needed political victory and boosting his drive to give the military a larger international role.
The largely ceremonial upper house approved legislation passed last month by the ruling party-controlled lower house. Japan's 1947 Constitution, drafted by US occupation officials in the aftermath of World War II, has never been amended.
Abe is urging strengthening military cooperation with the US and a more prominent Japanese role in peacekeeping, but moves to overhaul the Constitution have drawn fire from critics concerned about resurgent militarism.
During yesterday's vote, about 500 protesters -- including Buddhist monks and students -- rallied outside parliament, accusing Abe of aiming to change the Constitution to allow Japan to go to war.
Referendum
Reflecting those concerns, the government stressed that there were many more steps to go before a national referendum could take place on changing the charter. Yesterday's legislation bans further parliamentary votes on the issue for three years.
"Now that we have taken a step forward to lay out the procedures, it's important to further deepen public discussion before implementation," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki said shortly before the vote.
The legislation passed yesterday allows the parliament to work on drafts of amendments over the next three years. At the end of that period, two-thirds support in parliament and a majority in a national referendum would be needed to change the charter.
Constitutional revision has been a central plank in Abe's program since taking office last year. He has also enacted measures to teach patriotism in the classrooms and upgrade the Defense Agency to a full ministry for the first time since World War II.
The Constitution bans the use of military force as a means of settling international disputes, and special legislation is currently needed for Japanese soldiers to participate in peacekeeping and other missions abroad.
Pacifist clause
Many Japanese credit the charter's pacifist clause -- Article 9 -- with keeping the country out of war since 1945, preventing a return of militarism and allowing Japan to focus on becoming wealthy.
Abe's party has promoted watering down the clause to allow more peacekeeping missions and perhaps allow Japanese troops to aid an ally such as the US.
The opposition said the guidelines passed yesterday were flawed because they did not address the issue of minimum voter turnout in a national referendum.
"Japanese constitutionalism is now facing a serious threat, and the threat arises from Prime Minister Abe's lack of understanding and lack of principles," said Kiyoshige Maekawa of the opposition Democratic Party.
The passage was a key political victory for Abe, who has suffered from poor support ratings in recent months. His ruling Liberal Democratic Party faces crucial upper house elections in July, and some say his government's fate will depend on a decent showing in the ballot.
Abe, who has pushed for a more assertive Japanese foreign and defense policies, has argued that constitutional revision is needed to allow Japan to take a wider responsibility in maintaining global peace and security.
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