Prime Minister Shinzo Abe doesn't understand the basics of the Constitution and wants to use it to reduce human rights, not protect them, according to the head of a constitutional study panel for the Democratic Party of Japan.
Lawyer Yukio Edano, a House of Councilors member, says the Constitution makes up the fundamental laws and principles for the government and society — and defines to what extent the executive, legislative and judicial branches are separated in Japan.
But Abe's Liberal Democratic Party is trying to push more rules on the people, to up their responsibility to the state and society, instead of regulating those who hold power, Edano said in a recent interview.