L
Luminoso
Guest
via bbc news
Japan approves constitution steps
Japan's parliament has passed a bill that sets out steps for holding a
referendum on revising the country's pacifist constitution.
The legislation was passed by the parliament's upper house, having
cleared the lower house last month.
The move marks a victory for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has made
revising the constitution one of his top priorities, correspondents
say.
The current constitution has not been changed since 1947.
Drawn up by the US occupation authorities after WWII, it bans military
force in settling international disputes and prohibits maintaining a
military for warfare.
But Mr Abe wants Japan to be more assertive on the world stage, with a
military able to take part in peacekeeping missions abroad.
Mixed opinions
Mr Abe's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is working on a draft
of a new constitution.
The legislation passed by parliament says that a referendum on the
issue cannot take place before 2010, and needs approval from a
majority of voters.
"Since this will take effect in three years, what is important is to
deepen the debate among the people even further," Chief Cabinet
Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki said.
Public opinion in Japan on the issue also appears to be mixed, with
many in favour of some changes to the constitution while wanting the
country to remain officially pacifist.
Four opposition groups - including the main opposition Democratic
Party of Japan (DPJ) - opposed the bill because of divided public
sentiment on the issue, Japan's Kyodo news agency said.
Critics of the proposed changes say the pacifist constitution has kept
Japan out of war since the 1940s and allowed the country to focus on
economic growth instead.
The move may also meet concern from South Korea and China, which
remain suspicious of Japan because of its wartime aggressions.
Japan's constitution has been stretched in recent years to allow the
country to have a self-defence force.
Under former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, this was pushed still
further, to allow troops to join peacekeeping missions in Iraq.
Looks as if Japan is tired of being a eunich. Thing is, with
a more threatening N.Korea and a more powerful China in its
immediate neighborhood, maybe Japan simply cannot risk being
totally dependent on the USA for its defense.
The decreasing reputation and influence of the USA may also
figure into this equation. The USA owes its soul to the
Chinese, not only hooked on cheap Chinese labor but also on
those nice fat Chinses LOANS that have been financing our
deficit lifestyle and military endeavours. If push ever came
to shove, who would the USA feel obligated to defend, or
leave to the wolves ?
In this light, it's little wonder Japan wants to put a
stinger in its tail. Wouldn't suprise me to learn they'd
constructed a few nukes from material siphoned off from
their power/research reactors over the years.
On the downside, the martial character of Japan did not
disappear after WW-2. A re-militarized Japan could easily
become a more aggressive Japan.
Japan approves constitution steps
Japan's parliament has passed a bill that sets out steps for holding a
referendum on revising the country's pacifist constitution.
The legislation was passed by the parliament's upper house, having
cleared the lower house last month.
The move marks a victory for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has made
revising the constitution one of his top priorities, correspondents
say.
The current constitution has not been changed since 1947.
Drawn up by the US occupation authorities after WWII, it bans military
force in settling international disputes and prohibits maintaining a
military for warfare.
But Mr Abe wants Japan to be more assertive on the world stage, with a
military able to take part in peacekeeping missions abroad.
Mixed opinions
Mr Abe's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is working on a draft
of a new constitution.
The legislation passed by parliament says that a referendum on the
issue cannot take place before 2010, and needs approval from a
majority of voters.
"Since this will take effect in three years, what is important is to
deepen the debate among the people even further," Chief Cabinet
Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki said.
Public opinion in Japan on the issue also appears to be mixed, with
many in favour of some changes to the constitution while wanting the
country to remain officially pacifist.
Four opposition groups - including the main opposition Democratic
Party of Japan (DPJ) - opposed the bill because of divided public
sentiment on the issue, Japan's Kyodo news agency said.
Critics of the proposed changes say the pacifist constitution has kept
Japan out of war since the 1940s and allowed the country to focus on
economic growth instead.
The move may also meet concern from South Korea and China, which
remain suspicious of Japan because of its wartime aggressions.
Japan's constitution has been stretched in recent years to allow the
country to have a self-defence force.
Under former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, this was pushed still
further, to allow troops to join peacekeeping missions in Iraq.
Looks as if Japan is tired of being a eunich. Thing is, with
a more threatening N.Korea and a more powerful China in its
immediate neighborhood, maybe Japan simply cannot risk being
totally dependent on the USA for its defense.
The decreasing reputation and influence of the USA may also
figure into this equation. The USA owes its soul to the
Chinese, not only hooked on cheap Chinese labor but also on
those nice fat Chinses LOANS that have been financing our
deficit lifestyle and military endeavours. If push ever came
to shove, who would the USA feel obligated to defend, or
leave to the wolves ?
In this light, it's little wonder Japan wants to put a
stinger in its tail. Wouldn't suprise me to learn they'd
constructed a few nukes from material siphoned off from
their power/research reactors over the years.
On the downside, the martial character of Japan did not
disappear after WW-2. A re-militarized Japan could easily
become a more aggressive Japan.
