The Yomiuri Shimbun
The Liberal Democratic Party’s Headquarters for the Promotion of Revision to the Constitution has resumed discussions for revising the top law.
Though the meeting was held Tuesday, former Justice Minister Eisuke Mori, who became the headquarters’ new chairman, plans not to get into details for the time being, because the junior coalition partner is cautious of the issue becoming a point of dispute in the House of Councillors election this summer.
The LDP also aims to search for points of compromise, which may be found in talks with opposition parties, with an eye on political situations that may develop after the upper house election.
“What is important in trying to revise the Constitution is carefully handling minority opinions in the Diet and gaining a consensus from a broader range of lawmakers,” Mori said at the meeting, emphasizing that the headquarters will proceed with the discussions very carefully.
A senior LDP member has said that Mori’s attitude aims to “demonstrate consideration for Komeito.” Soka Gakkai, a lay Buddhist organization which is a main supporter of Komeito, remains deeply wary of Komeito being influenced by the debates for revising the Constitution.
Komeito leader Natsuo Yamaguchi gently dismissed the LDP’s move on Tuesday, saying, “Though the LDP’s policy line is to establish a new constitution written by the nation itself, it is another matter entirely whether a consensus in the Diet can be reached.”
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe aims to secure cooperation from opposition parties by creating clauses about national emergencies in an amended constitution. The planned clauses include one that enables the terms of Diet members to be extended when an emergency, such as a huge earthquake, has occurred.
Also in the current Diet session, Abe has repeatedly made remarks that are enthusiastic about revising the Constitution.
However, there was some difficulty when the previous chairman of the LDP headquarters, Hajime Funada, presented some planned amendments. These were the creation of the national emergency clauses; new types of human rights clauses, such as environmental rights; and a clause about fiscal discipline.
Opposition parties did not agree to the points because they had been proposed at the LDP’s initiative, and thus the debate became deadlocked.
Therefore, LDP Secretary General Sadakazu Tanigaki, who is also the party’s top official responsible for the party’s election campaigns, told Mori that the debates should not be organized in a hasty and sloppy manner.
“It’s because Japan is a beginner at constitutional amendment,” Tanigaki reportedly told Mori.
Tanigaki and Mori plan a strategy whereby revisions to the Constitution will not be hurriedly decided, and they will try to boost momentum for cooperative relations between the ruling and opposition parties.
“Mr. Tanigaki, who represents dovish party members, plays the role of a buffer regarding the highly enthusiastic attitude of the prime minister for revising the Constitution,” a mid-ranking LDP member said.
The LDP headquarters will hold study meetings once a month from now on, and plans to hold debates also eyeing a review of the LDP’s draft of an amended constitution.
On Tuesday, members of the headquarters received a lecture from Makoto Iokibe, chairman of the board of directors of the Prefectural University of Kumamoto, on such topics as how the current Constitution was established.
At the same time, the LDP has begun preparations while looking toward the political situations that may emerge after the upper house election.
It was decided that discussions in Wednesday’s meeting of the upper house’s Commission on the Constitution would look at a two-chamber system, partly in line with the LDP’s wishes.
The LDP apparently takes the view that if the discussion focuses on high-level perspectives, such as role-sharing by the House of Representatives and the upper house, the Democratic Party of Japan will have to join.
Osaka Ishin no Kai is positive toward revising Article 92 and Article 94, which stipulate local autonomy.
The LDP wants to call on other political parties to jointly discuss such matters
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LDP treads carefully in drive for constitutional revision - The Japan News