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TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, anxious for a protracted term, reaffirmed Monday his readiness to revise the post-war pacifist constitution and expressed hope that his party would submit a proposal to parliament more late this year.
The head of government and leader of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Shinzo Abe, delivers a speech at a meeting on the election of the LDP party leader at the party's headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, on 10 September 2018. REUTERS / Toru Hanai
Abe, who took office in December 2012 promising to strengthen the defenses and revive the economy, should largely defeat his rival, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba, in an election to head the Liberal Party Democrat on September 20th.
Victory would give him another three-year term as leader of the LDP and put him on track to become Japan's longest-serving prime minister, given the grip of the ruling LDP-led coalition.
Article 9 of the Constitution, taken to the letter, prohibits the maintenance of the armed forces, but it has been interpreted as allowing an army to defend itself.
Abe wants to add a reference to the Self-Defense Forces because the Japanese army is known to clarify their status.
This would be a largely symbolic change, but long sought after by conservatives who see the US constitution as a humiliating reminder of the defeat of the Second World War and opposition from critics who fear expanding the role of the SDFs. abroad.
"Is not the mission of politicians living today to create an environment in which they (SDF members) can perform their duties with a sense of pride?
"Let us fulfill our mission by clearly writing in the constitution the self-defense forces that protect the peace and independence of Japan," he said.
Abe said at a press conference that he hoped the PLD could submit its proposal to Parliament as part of an additional session expected to take place later this year.
An attempt to revise the constitution would be politically risky. The public is divided and the LDP's dovish partner, Komeito, is wary. Amendments require the approval of two-thirds of both chambers of parliament and the majority at a referendum.
Abe, who met with South Korea's presidential envoy in North Korea on Monday, Suh Hoon, reiterated his wish to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to solve the problem of Japanese citizens kidnapped by Pyongyang agents.
In 2002, North Korea admitted to abducting 13 Japanese in the 1970s and 1980s. Japan estimates that 17 of its citizens have been abducted, five of whom have been repatriated. Eight people have been declared dead by North Korea and four have never entered the country.
Abe also promised in his speech to strengthen Japan's infrastructure over the next three years to deal with natural disasters such as floods, landslides and earthquakes that have recently rocked the country. He gave no details.
