NEWSWORTHY
Japan lowers minimum voting age for constitutional referendums to 18
The minimum voting age in national referendums to amend the Constitution was lowered to 18 from 20 on Thursday as part of a series of moves to encourage civic participation by young people. The lowering of the voting age for referendums brings it into line ...
Ex-Prime Minister Nakasone makes call for amending Constitution as he celebrates 100th birthday
At 100, former Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone, a legendary figure in Japanese politics, expresses hopes that “serious efforts” will be made to amend the postwar Constitution.
LDP panels back Japanese government's pursuit of capability to attack in self-defense
Panels in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Friday approved a draft proposal for the government to develop the military capability to "strike enemy bases" in foreign countries. Considering North Korea's rapidly advancing nuclear and missile programs and China's maritime assertiveness, the LDP also will ...
In a recent video message the prime minister spoke about the need to revise the top law, but does he still have the public support to do it?
More than half of Japanese oppose any constitutional revisions under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe — though a majority do see a need for some changes in the future, a Kyodo News survey showed Wednesday. Revising the Constitution has been a long-held goal of the conservative ...
Abe attempts to rally from scandal, repeating Article 9 vows at LDP's annual convention
In a speech at his LDP’s annual convention, the prime minister acknowledged the damage from the Moritomo Gakuen scandal and repeated his plans to revise the pacifist Constitution.
Key LDP panel agrees to pursue Abe's proposed amendment of Japan's pacifist Constitution
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party has decided to pursue a plan proposed by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to amend Article 9 of the nation’s war-renouncing Constitution and add an explicit reference to the Self-Defense Forces. Abe, who is eager to make the first-ever revision to ...
LDP panel fails to form consensus over revision of war-renouncing Article 9
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party's panel on constitutional revisions failed to reach a consensus Thursday over how the war-renouncing Article 9 should be revised, facing resistance from rank-and-file members calling for more radical revision than the ideas proposed by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Those lawmakers ...
Article 9 revision seen as politically risky amid Moritomo scandal
The outlook for ruling Liberal Democratic Party's deliberations on how best to amend the Constitution is now in doubt, with the Cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe having been rocked by a scandal involving falsification of official documents, senior lawmakers suggested Wednesday. Shigeru Ishiba, a ...
Abe's route to revising Article 9 crosses minefield of legalese
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party is now entering a critical phase of debate on what has been one of the most contentious political issues throughout the postwar years: whether and how the war-renouncing Article 9 of the Constitution should be revised. Masahiko Komura, vice president ...
The public approval rating for the Cabinet has inched up to 50.8 percent in the latest survey, with more than half of respondents backing its policy of pressuring North Korea to halt its nuclear weapons and missile development programs. The approval rating is 1.1 points ...
