Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is often quoted as saying that he wants Japan to become a "normal" country again. It seems that he regards the structure of postwar Japan, including the Japanese Constitution and the Fundamental Law on Education adopted during the Allied Occupation, as not normal.

He asserted in his book "Toward a Beautiful Japan" (Utsukushii Nippon e) that the intention of the Allied Forces had been to bind Japan hand and foot so that it could not rise for the second time as a world power.

Japan is a world power. It has modern armed forces and is one of the leading powers in Asia. It undoubtedly is a great power in the political, economic and cultural spheres.