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Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) reiterated Wednesday its determination to have the pacifist Constitution revised in the 2007 LDP party position plan adopted in an annual party convention.

What's behind the endeavor, as believed by some analysts here, is Japan's ambition to provide validity for its military forces' overseas assignment, to enhance military integration with its US alliance and to be "assertive" in diplomatic issues.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who is also the LDP president, expressed strong enthusiasm for amending the US-drafted postwar Constitution at the convention. "The Constitution shapes the country and its framework. I'd like to go back to the spirit of when the party was first founded and work on the revision of the Constitution," he said.

Abe said the Constitution, which has not been revised since it took effect in 1947, needs to be rewritten to expand Japan's role in international security affairs and to reflect the current times.

At the party convention, the issue was top on agenda. As objectives, the policy calls for the national referendum bill to be put into effect as early as possible and a system to attract public discussion on the constitutional revision.

The Liberal Democratic Party has been the leading advocate for rewriting the Constitution, especially the pacifist terms. In November 2005, the party has presented in a constitutional draft to have the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) renamed as "Self-Defense Army."

However, the current constitution stipulates in Article 9 that "the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes," and "land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained. The right of belligerency of the state will not be recognized."

The SDF is virtually as much an army as the military forces in other countries, though it is forbidden to exercise force abroad under Japan's current supreme law.

If renamed under a revised constitution, the troops will be allowed to take part in international peacekeeping and security operations without being legally challenged as they have been since its first outbound dispatch in 1991.

The Constitution stipulates that any revision must be supported by over two thirds of lawmakers as well as be endorsed by a national referendum. To push the process, Abe said Wednesday that his first goal is to get a bill that outlines procedures for a national referendum -- needed to change the Constitution -- passed during the next Diet session, which convenes Jan. 25.

The 2007 LDP position plan also vowed to enhance security cooperation with the United States and to implement US military realignment plans, as well as to strengthen missile defense shield. Japan's attempts to be militarily integrated with its US alliance reveal the nation's ambition to become a military power.

Tokyo and Washington reached a final agreement on the reorganization of the US military presence in Japan in May, 2006. Earlier this month, when the Defense Agency was formally upgraded to a full ministry, a special official was also appointed to be in charge of coordination between the US military in Japan and related local communities.

Through the upgrade, the SDF's overseas missions, including peacekeeping, disaster relief, humanitarian assistance and even logistic support for the US army, have been upgraded into the Self-Defense Forces (SDF)' essential duties from their current subordinate positions.

The SDF is also considering to integrate its current intelligence troops to establish a new central intelligence troops of about 600 personnel, so as to enhance its intelligence collection and analysis ability.

Besides, the Japanese government mulls setting up a commission responsible for constituting mid- and long-term diplomatic and security strategies, which hopefully will evolve into a Japanese version of the US "Central Intelligence Agency."

During the LDP convention, Abe also noted that he has engaged " in assertive diplomacy...and will continue to do so." The position plan said that Japan will work to increase comprehensive diplomacy, to take a leading role in improving peace and prosperity in Asia, and to establish an oceanic basic law to determine Japan's strategic goals and policies as an oceanic nation.

Since Abe assumed the post as premier in September, he has repeatedly mentioned the "assertive diplomacy," which aims to maintain a high profile of Japan in international issues. During the five months on post, Abe has visited China, South Korea, Vietnam as well as Britain, Germany, Belgium, France, marking an active diplomatic presence of Japan.

Tokyo has also maintained its ambition and efforts to win a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council. One of the aims of Abe and Foreign Minister Taro Aso's European visits were to gather support for Japan's efforts.

As to territorial disputes with China, South Korean and Russia, the ruling party has been working on an oceanic basic law and pushing for the setup of a ministerial post in the Cabinet in charge of oceanic policy, in effort to protect Japan's national interests.

(Xinhua News Agency January 18, 2007)