Home / International / International -- News Tools: Save | Print | E-mail | Most Read
Japan Takes First Step in Revising Pacifist Charter
Adjust font size:

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe scored a victory in his drive to rewrite Japan's pacifist constitution and ease its limits on military action overseas when parliament yesterday enacted a law outlining steps for a referendum on revising the post-World War II charter.

 

Abe, 52, Japan's first prime minister born after the war, has made revising the 1947 constitution a key element in his efforts to boost Japan's global role, limited for decades by the constitution's pacifist Article 9.

 

Drafted by US occupation authorities in February 1947, the constitution has never been altered and procedures for a referendum had not been specified.

 

Under the referendum law, approved by the upper house yesterday, no vote on revising the constitution would be held for at least three years, but its enactment will increase momentum for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) push to state clearly in the charter Japan's right to maintain a military.

 

"The law will be implemented three years hence, and until then, it is important to debate broadly and deeply in a calm environment," Abe said.

 

The passage of the law does not mean that Abe will have a smooth sailing, Jin Xide, a researcher at the Institute of Japanese Studies affiliated to the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told China Daily.

 

"For Abe's ambition to revise the constitution, it is the first concrete step; it is a breakthrough," he said. "But it cannot guarantee revision."

 

Tokyo has already taken military steps despite the current constitutional restrictions.

 

It dispatched troops on a humanitarian mission to Iraq in 2004-06, the first time since World War II that Japanese soldiers have entered a combat zone. Tokyo also offers logistical assistance to US-led troops in Afghanistan.

 

Tokyo has airlifted UN and coalition personnel and supplies into Baghdad and other Iraqi cities from nearby Kuwait in support of the US-led war in Iraq. The mission, under way since early last year, is set to end July 31, and parliament is currently debating whether to extend it.

 

During yesterday's vote, about 500 protestors -- including Buddhist monks and students -- rallied outside parliament, accusing Abe of aiming to change the constitution to allow Japan to go to war.

 

Changing Article 9 requires approval by two-thirds of the members of both houses of parliament as well as half the voters in a national referendum.

 

Jin noted that the enactment came at a time when the LDP enjoys an absolute majority in both houses of parliament.

 

"That is why the law was passed in such a hurry because the ruling party was afraid of losing this opportunity."

 

The biggest opposition party, the Democratic Party of Japan, does not oppose revising the constitution but differs with the LDP on how it should be altered; the smaller opposition Social Democratic and Communist parties oppose any changes at all of the constitution.

 

"If a majority of the people say 'No' to the sort of society those who want to revise the constitution are trying to create, the constitution cannot be changed," Communist Party leader Kazuo Shii told reporters. "The real battle begins now."

 

"Japanese constitutionalism is now facing a serious threat, and the threat arises from Abe's lack of understanding and lack of principles," said Kiyoshige Maekawa from the Democratic Party of Japan.

 

Japan's closest security ally, the United States, has made clear it would welcome revision of Article 9, but Japanese voters remain cautious.

 

A survey published earlier this month by the liberal Asahi newspaper showed that while 58 percent of respondents favored some changes to the constitution, 49 percent opposed changing Article 9 against 33 percent who backed revising it.

 

(China Daily May 15, 2007)

Tools: Save | Print | E-mail | Most Read

Related Stories
Japan's Upper House Begins Debate on Constitutional Referendum Bill
What's Behind LDP's Effort to Revise the Constitution
Japan's Panel OKs Constitution Revision
> Korean Nuclear Talks
> Middle East Peace Process
> Iran Nuclear Issue
> Reconstruction of Iraq
> 6th SCO Summit Meeting
Links
- China Development Gateway
- Foreign Ministry
- Network of East Asian Think-Tanks
- China-EU Association
- China-Africa Business Council
- China Foreign Affairs University
- University of International Relations
- Institute of World Economics & Politics
- Institute of Russian, East European & Central Asian Studies
- Institute of West Asian & African Studies
- Institute of Latin American Studies
- Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies
- Institute of Japanese Studies
SiteMap | About Us | RSS | Newsletter | Feedback
SEARCH THIS SITE
Copyright ? China.org.cn. All Rights Reserved ????E-mail: webmaster@china.org.cn Tel: 86-10-88828000 京ICP證 040089號
主站蜘蛛池模板: 欧美国产日产片| 国产成人精品怡红院| 日韩美女中文字幕| 免费网站看v片在线香蕉| 亚洲免费一级片| 美女啪啪网站又黄又免费| 国产精品欧美亚洲区| 中文字幕在线久热精品| 欧美国产日韩综合| 北条麻妃一区二区三区av高清| 6080午夜一级毛片免费看6080夜福利| 日韩欧美高清视频| 国产乱理伦片在线观看| 99久久免费国产精品| 日本免费高清一本视频| 亚洲欧美日韩图片| 老司机精品视频在线| 国产精品v欧美精品∨日韩| 久久大香香蕉国产免费网站| 特黄特色大片免费播放| 国产亚洲美女精品久久久| 91天堂素人精品系列网站| 成人永久免费高清| 亚洲综合久久精品无码色欲| 触手怪入侵男生下面bl的漫画| 国产高清一区二区三区| 中文字幕亚洲一区二区va在线| 欧美三级欧美一级| 人人妻人人澡人人爽人人dvd | 91在线看片一区国产| 成人免费一区二区三区视频| 九九久久99综合一区二区| 污视频在线看网站| 嘟嘟嘟www在线观看免费高清 | 精品午夜福利在线观看| 国产强伦姧在线观看| 91w乳液78w78wyw5| 好男人在线神马影视在线观看www 好男人在线观看高清视频www | 国产欧美日韩另类精彩视频| yy111111影院理论大片| 日韩激情无码免费毛片|