The appointment of Ichiro Komatsu as director general of the Cabinet Legislation Bureau is a step toward Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's goal of reinterpreting the Constitution so Japan can engage in collective self-defense.
Komatsu, who was ambassador to France when he accepted the new post, differs from his predecessors in that he was brought in from outside, whereas the previous chiefs had risen from the bureau's ranks and had all agreed that the Constitution's war-renouncing Article 9 forbids Japan from collectively militarily defending the United States or any other presumed ally.
Komatsu is believed to be on the same page as Abe on collective self-defense, and his appointment — by Abe — has cast light on the influence the bureau has over the Cabinet, even though its opinions are nonbinding and the Cabinet has the final say.