The debate over a revision of Japan's postwar Constitution remains at a standstill as the country marks 77 years since the top law came into effect.

With less than two months left before the June 23 closing of the current session of parliament, any possibility that Prime Minister Fumio Kishida can deliver reform before the end of his term as Liberal Democratic Party president in late September, as he has promised, appears remote at best.

Following a large-scale slush funds scandal that has embroiled the LDP, lawmakers have turned all their attention to a review of the political funds control law, in a bid to tighten regulations on the handling of political funds and increase transparency.

Following its victories in three by-elections on Sunday, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP), the largest opposition group in parliament, has intensified its offensive against the LDP, leaving little space for any substantial debate on the Constitution.

Even Komeito, the LDP’s junior coalition partner, has grown increasingly vocal of the necessity to prioritize political reform over anything else, pressing the ruling party to present its own blueprint for legal revision last week.

As such, debate on constitutional revisions has largely stalled.

A parliamentary committee on the Constitution — which came into effect on May 3, 1947 — gathered three times last month and exchanged views on items under discussion and the roadmap to the potential revision.

Discussions have largely centered around the possibility of extending the tenure of Lower House lawmakers at times of national emergency and convening an extraordinary session of the assembly in such circumstances.

The Constitution establishes that, while the Upper House, in principle, doesn’t operate once the Lower House has been dissolved, the Cabinet may request an extraordinary session when there is a national emergency, for example a large-scale natural disaster. But the Lower House cannot convene until after a popular vote.

Two opposition parties — Nippon Ishin no Kai and the Democratic Party for the People — as well as Yushi no Kai, a group of independent Lower House members, have submitted their own separate proposals for a revision of this clause.

“Parliament can’t be allowed to continue to walk at a snail’s pace,” Nippon Ishin’s leader, Nobuyuki Baba, said in a statement released on Constitution Day on Friday. “In order to protect the lives and property of the people and the peace and stability of our country, we need to proceed with the constitutional revisions without any further delay.”

The LDP is in favor of such amendments, as well as additional revisions including an explicit mention of the Self-Defense Forces, the introduction of provisions on education and the establishment of a new set of rights that fit the needs of a "digital era."

While the CDP, in principle, does not oppose any constitutional revisions, it has said that the time is not yet ripe for concrete discussions about it based on public opinion.

At a meeting of the parliamentary committee, CDP lawmaker Seiji Osaka said that the LDP doesn’t have the right to talk about constitutional revisions, having recently been involved in the large-scale slush-funds scandal.

“I’m afraid that changing the Constitution has become a goal in and of itself,” he said on April 11, criticizing Kishida for voicing his desire to revise the top law. “Doing so damages the value of the Constitution.”

Skepticism toward any precipitous step forward has also emerged within the ruling coalition.

In a speech in Tokyo on Thursday, Komeito leader Natsuo Yamaguchi referred to the slush funds scandal as a matter that “threatens and distorts the sovereignty of the people” and called for a revision of the political funds control law during the current session of parliament.

As for constitutional revision, he said that while deepening discussions is essential, it should not be done simply for the sake of it.

“Because the Constitution states that the Upper House can convene an emergency session in case of an emergency, I think the Upper House should take the initiative to bring forward the discussion,” he said.

The Japanese Communist Party remains adamantly opposed to any changes to the Constitution.

A corresponding Upper House committee is scheduled to meet for the first time next Wednesday, according to several media reports.

Any proposed amendment to the Constitution would need support from two-thirds of lawmakers in both houses of parliament before it goes to a referendum, which would decide its fate with a simple majority. The Constitution has never been amended.

Opinion polls suggest that public sentiment on amending the Constitution is mixed.

A recent Kyodo News poll shows 65% of respondents saying that they don’t think the debate should be rushed through, almost double the percentage of those in favor of speeding up discussions. Meanwhile, another survey conducted by the Yomiuri Shimbun found that a similar share of respondents are in favor of a constitutional revision.