The ruling Liberal Democratic Party has removed a pledge that Japan will "never wage a war" from the final draft of its campaign platform for this year, which is to be approved at the party's annual convention scheduled for Jan. 19.
The pledge was a part of the LDP's platform for 2013.
The pacifist notion, reportedly included in an earlier draft for 2014, was a key phrase that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has used to try to soothe international concerns over his visit to war-related Yasukuni Shrine last month.