The top government spokesman on Thursday denied reports that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has "toned down" his stated desire to submit the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's constitutional amendment proposal before the Diet's fall session begins later this month.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga was responding to reports earlier in the day by the Mainichi Shimbun daily and Jiji Press that said Abe has effectively backtracked from his earlier promise to submit the LDP's proposal to the extraordinary Diet session.
According to the reports, Abe told former LDP Vice President Masahiko Komura during a closed meeting on Wednesday that there is room for him to compromise and just provide an unofficial "explanation" — instead of a more formal "submission" — on what the LDP's proposal to the Diet would look like.