Head of Democratic Party for the People seeks constitutional debate not focused on Article 9
The opposition Democratic Party for the People wants to pursue discussions on constitutional reform but the discussion should not focus on the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's four-point proposal that includes changes to war-renouncing Article 9, party head Yuichiro Tamaki has said. In a recent interview, ...
A tug-of-war between the pro- and anti-revision forces has been playing out within the DPP, with leader Yuichiro Tamaki wavering between the two sides.
The danger in Abe's constitutional amendment proposal
If there is to be any amendment to the Constitution, the substance of the Abe Cabinet's 2014 reinterpretation of Article 9 to allow collective self-defense should be made part of the proposal or withdrawn entirely.
Despite winning more seats in Upper House vote, Komeito officials worry about losing support
Komeito boosted its presence in the House of Councilors in the latest election, but a sense of crisis among party officials has deepened as the number of votes it acquired under the proportional representation system fell by more than 1 million compared to the ...
Poll shows 56% of Japanese oppose amending Constitution under Abe government
More than half of people in Japan oppose amending the nation's postwar pacifist Constitution under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government, a Kyodo news survey conducted after the Upper House election showed Tuesday. In the two-day telephone survey, held from Monday, 56.0 percent opposed Abe's drive ...
Abe calls for constitutional amendments proposals to be debated in Diet
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Sunday demanded that the Diet discuss his Liberal Democratic Party's proposals for constitutional amendments. The LDP's proposals include defining the roles of the Self-Defense Forces in the Constitution's war-renouncing Article 9. Political parties should put forward their own proposals for constitutional ...
Japan's ruling bloc to delay submission of bill to revise referendum law
The ruling bloc has decided not to submit a bill to revise the country's referendum law to the ongoing ordinary Diet session, informed sources have said. The Liberal Democratic Party-led camp apparently hopes to avoid confrontations with opposition forces ahead of the House of Councilors ...
On Constitution Day, Abe again vows to revise Japan's top law, aiming for enactment in 2020
The prime minister’s lifelong drive to rewrite pacifist Article 9 will hinge on the Upper House election in July, political observers say.
Abe calls for more equal educational opportunities to be part of revised Constitution
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Tuesday that the better provision of education for all children should be part of reforms to Japan's Constitution. "Education must be truly open for all children, regardless of their families' economic conditions," Abe said in a message to the meeting ...
Heisei's legal legacies include greater civic participation
With Emperor Akihito abdicating on April 30, the Heisei Era that began Jan. 8, 1989, after his father's death will also come to an end. With this column I'd like to look back at some of the noteworthy changes that occurred to Japan's laws ...
Influential Japanese philosopher Takeshi Umehara dies at age 93
Influential Japanese philosopher Takeshi Umehara died of pneumonia at his home in Kyoto on Saturday. He was 93. Umehara, who was awarded the Order of Culture in 1999, addressed not only philosophy but also touched on wide-ranging topics about Japanese culture. Born in Sendai, Umehara served ...
