Free Republic

In Japan's Upper House election, NHK projects Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's governing coalition will reach and could surpass the benchmark he set before the election, a majority of the contested seats or 61. NHK's decision desk also says the governing coalition, and 2 smaller parties in favor of changing the Constitution may reach a key number. The main ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its partner Komeito are projected to walk away with between 67 and 76 seats. That, combined with their uncontested seats, would mean they keep their majority in the chamber as a whole. NHK decision desk is also...

President Joe Biden pulled out all the stops for International Women’s Day on Monday, but he arguably undercut women’s advancement while paying lip service to it. He issued a glowing statement about women’s empowerment, launched a Gender Policy Council, and signed an executive order barring “sex discrimination” — including discrimination on the basis of gender identity — in public schools. On one hand, Biden celebrated women’s advancement, and on the other, he forced schoolgirls to share bathrooms and sports teams with biological boys. “On International Women’s Day, we celebrate the achievements, contributions, and progress of women and girls in the...

Strictly speaking, some experts believe that Japan has been in violation of Article 9 ever since it created a ‘self-defense’ force, and in a very technical sense there is an argument to be made there. But practically speaking, Japan lives in a neighborhood that has become increasingly hostile over the past 20 years. Between China’s rise, Russia’s revisionist tendencies, and North Korea, it has become clear to Abe that his country’s ‘military’ has to take a different stance moving forward if Tokyo has any hope of fending off the sophisticated forces of Russia and China. That will require constitutional changes....

A woman with revisionist views of World War II history was named Japan’s defense minister in a Cabinet reshuffle on Wednesday, a move that could unsettle relations with Asian neighbors with bitter memories of wartime atrocities. Tomomi Inada, who had served as reform minister and most recently held one of the top posts in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, will replace Gen Nakatani as defense minister. She’s the second female to fill the post. […] Inada, a lawyer-turned-lawmaker and one of Abe’s favorite cronies, is a regular at Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine, which honors war dead including convicted war criminals, a...

An influential political lobby in Japan will do its utmost to capitalize on Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s election victory and push for the constitution to be revised to allow a more active military, the group’s chairman said Wednesday. […] Tadae Takubo, chairman of Nippon Kaigi, or Japan Conference, said the war-renouncing constitution that makes Japan’s defense “defective” needs to be corrected. […] Founded in 1997, Nippon Kaigi has strived to revise the constitution to restore traditional gender roles, increase imperial worshiping and put public interest before individuals. The group is believed to be behind Abe’s comeback in 2012 and has...

Tokyo urged to consider N-bombs Peter Alford, Tokyo correspondent September 07, 2006 JAPAN should study the possibility of acquiring nuclear weapons, says former prime minister Yasuhiro Nakasone, because its US security blanket cannot be guaranteed to last forever. Mr Nakasone's call for the next government to consider nuclear weapons and to prepare an independent defence strategy comes from a man who as prime minister from 1982 to 1987 was the most outspoken Japanese leader in support of the US security alliance. Famed for his warm "Ron and Yasu" relationship with then US leader Ronald Reagan, Mr Nakasone remains strongly pro-alliance,...

61% support constitutional revision The Yomiuri Shimbun Sixty-one percent of respondents to a nationwide Yomiuri Shimbun survey support revision of the Constitution, the second-highest figure since the opinion poll on the top law was first taken in 1981. The figure marks the second consecutive year that support for constitutional revision has exceeded 60 percent, with 65 percent reported last year. The survey results show demand for a new constitution that reflects the changed times finally has widespread support, 60 years after the end of World War II. Lawmakers have been increasingly active in discussing revision of the supreme law. The...

(Kyodo) - A majority of a House of Representatives panel on Japan's Constitution has drafted a final report supporting Japan's proposed participation in international cooperation and collective security activities, panel sources said Tuesday. The support is apparently aimed at Japan's participation in United Nations peacekeeping operations mainly based on U.N. resolutions. The draft report also calls for Japan to maintain the war-renouncing Article 9 of the Constitution, the sources said. The report, which will be submitted next month to House of Representatives Speaker Yohei Kono, showed that a majority approved the continued existence of a system that recognizes the...

Opposition parties slam Powell for pushing constitutional change Saturday, August 14, 2004 at 04:00 JSTTOKYO ? U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell's suggestion that Japan should consider rewriting its war-renouncing Constitution in order to get a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council drew fire from opposition lawmakers in Japan on Friday. "He's wrong," said Hirohisa Fujii, secretary general of the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan. Powell made the remarks in Washington on Thursday in an interview with Japanese reporters. He said it is entirely up to the Japanese people to decide whether to revise the war-renouncing Article 9...