Yahoo on Japan's new constitution draft

[aljones15]

[Charles]

I think it's a hoax. None of the other news sources are mentioning it. So maybe some minor LDP bureaucrat released a report recommending the constitution be amended, so what? That happens all the time. But the constitution has never been amended, there has never been an attempt to amend it. It is just not going to happen.

BTW, that was really a bad way to post a link, try using the url tags instead of posting urls that are too long for the regular width of the FG windows.

[aljones15]

I tried using the url tags. how do they work?"[url]" paste url "[/url]" url name? not sure.

thanks,
a [/url]

[Charles]

Looks like someone fixed your tags, since it was screwing up the front page. Try editing your original message to see how the url tags work.

Anyway, I finally found another reference to this story in English, in an editorial on asahi.com. It makes it sound like the LDP has a draft of an entirely new constitution. But it doesn't matter, because it's never going to happen.

[Greji]

-snip- But it doesn't matter, because it's never going to happen.

What do you base this on? Although it is currently not quite the topic it was a year or so ago, this is a very highly talked up topic in the J-society with certain portions of the academics and left being against it. But as evidenced by the last election, if the LDP wants to change parts of it, they currently have the power to get it done (incidentally, this is not only just the LDP taking about changes).

Since there has long been the conflict with the far right that the constitution is a product of the period of defeat of Imperial Japan and was forced on the good guys by the occupation forces (read USA). They have expoused the feelings that the current document should be scraped and/or motified to become truly "Japanese". The media, if nothing else, has appeased the right by keeping the topic up front in the news. So a lot of people have already formed their opinions and at lot of those do not agree with what you are saying. Charles, you might consider a visit to Japan before you die and where you can talk to the J-people who are actually involved in the decision making processes and the guy on the street. You may be surprised that they think is different from that hot info from the J-tourist, or businessman trying to make a deal, or for that matter from journalists who need a story at any cost and who, like you have, never been to the country, or had any dealings with J-people outside of this closed and easily directed enviorment.

Overhere, others, myself included, can see changes consitutional changes forthcoming, maybe not tomorrow, but they will come.

FWIW

[FG Lurker]

-snip- But it doesn't matter, because it's never going to happen.

What do you base this on?

I'd hazard that he's (as usual) talking out his ass... But hey, what do I know?

Charles, you might consider a visit to Japan before you die

As he'll no doubt inform us all again, he has been to Japan. I think it was for a couple months. Plenty of time to gain his immense "knowledge" and deep "understanding" of everything in & about Japan.

[Charles]

-snip- But it doesn't matter, because it's never going to happen.

What do you base this on? Although it is currently not quite the topic it was a year or so ago, this is a very highly talked up topic in the J-society with certain portions of the academics and left being against it. But as evidenced by the last election, if the LDP wants to change parts of it, they currently have the power to get it done (incidentally, this is not only just the LDP taking about changes).

I just don't see it happening. The vast majority of the public is overwhelmingly opposed to changing Article 9. There were times in the past when the LDP had sufficient power to make changes, and they never got it done then either. The current coalition is shaky enough, Komeito will never ever go for changes to Article 9, and without Komeito, they haven't got the power.

[cstaylor]

I just don't see it happening. The vast majority of the public is overwhelmingly opposed to changing Article 9. There were times in the past when the LDP had sufficient power to make changes, and they never got it done then either. The current coalition is shaky enough, Komeito will never ever go for changes to Article 9, and without Komeito, they haven't got the power.

That's been changing. I'd say if Article 9 was put up for a vote as the sole revision to the Constitution, it would pass on a popular referendum.

The dangerous part is when those hacks start scribbling over the other parts, like equal rights for women, universal sufferage, emperor as the symbol of the state.

[Charles]

That's been changing. I'd say if Article 9 was put up for a vote as the sole revision to the Constitution, it would pass on a popular referendum.

The dangerous part is when those hacks start scribbling over the other parts, like equal rights for women, universal sufferage, emperor as the symbol of the state.

I dunno, I suppose there are ways to change Article 9 that wouldn't rile up the Komeito, but it would have to leave the Renouncing War bit in, and that means the changes wouldn't be worth making.
I once lived in a geshuku run by some little old ladies who were the local Komeito officials. They seemed mostly harmless, but the subject of Article 9 was a pretty firm issue with them. And after seeing a few of their gatherings, I can assure you, you just do NOT want to rile up an army of little old ladies from the Komeito and unleash them on the public by trying to take away one of their favorite Constitutional articles. That issue seemed more important to them than equal rights for women.

[ichigo partygirl]

i have to agree with gboothe that these sort of constitutional amendments are highly likely in the near future - just the legacy Koizumi wants to leave. The Japanese politians never really believed that not having a military was forever, when they signed the constituition they did so with the knowledge that in the short term this was a good thing, but it was never going to be a permanent part of Japan. With Koizumi streching the constitution to ever greater lenghts before and going to Iraq when many other counties would not, he is in a good position to suggest such chanages. America is unlikely to have strong oppostion considering the state of the world and particularly the Asian region.
(And before people start flaming me this is all my own opinion)

[Mulboyne]

The Japanese politians never really believed that not having a military was forever

That's too sweeping a statement. There were plenty of LDP politicians with first hand experience of the war who never wanted to see that face of Japan again. Memories have faded, though and younger politicians look at the issue in terms of what "normal nations" do. (A phrase which always looks odd when it appears in the media).

[ichigo partygirl]

This is true of course. But what i really meant was the politians never really believed that the constitution in the form is was signed was forever. I think Japan revising its constitution to allow a military would be a grave mistake. it could be the the final straw for many of it's Asian neighbours. They need to make a greater effort to apologise and compensate for the wrongs committed before having the capabilities to do it again

[Charles]

Komeito to oppose Constitution revision to allow Japan to have military

The Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) coalition partner, Komeito, plans to oppose the LDP's draft of a proposed revision to the Constitution that would allow Japan to have a military force.
The finalized draft of the proposed Constitution by the LDP maintains the first part of the current Constitution's Article 9 that renounces war. But the draft tries to revise the second part of Article 9 that bans possession of land, sea and air forces, in a bid to possess a military force.
The LDP's Constitution draft proposes revising Article 9's second part by calling the current Self-Defense Forces (SDF) a military power.
But Komeito reportedly plans to maintain both parts of the current Article 9 in its Constitution revision proposal, which the party is set to draft next year.
"We cannot support the plan to possess a military force," Akihiro Ota, Komeito's deputy secretary general told an NHK news program on Sunday. "We believe that the current Constitution's pacifism is important and intend to maintain both the first and second parts of Article 9."
LDP member Yoichi Masuzoe, a leading member of the ruling party's Constitution drafting commission, said that it was important for the LDP to recognize the SDF as Japan's military by revising the Constitution.
Masuzoe added that another law should be created in a bid to avoid military expansion after designating the SDF as a military force.