Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's attempt to pressure his party into revising its constitutional revision proposals by the end of the year appears to have backfired, and he is now willing to let the party itself dictate the timing instead.
At a news conference after Thursday's Cabinet reshuffle, Abe was asked about his pledge to have the ruling Liberal Democratic Party submit a draft during the extraordinary Diet session expected to be held from September to early December.
"The schedule should not be determined in advance," Abe said. "It is the Diet that should propose (constitutional revisions) . . . I'd like the party to take the initiative."