Abe's quixotic quest for constitutional change

By Liu Shigang (China Daily) Updated: 2014-03-04 08:11

Under Article 96 of the Constitution any amendments must be proposed with the support of a two-thirds or more of both houses of Japan's parliament and then be approved by a simple majority vote in a national referendum. The LDP has suggested that a simple majority in both houses of the Diet and a national referendum would suffice.

The first purpose of Japan's constitutional revision is to change the postwar arrangement imposed by the US. After World War II, the allied occupation forces completely disbanded Japan's army and designed a pacifist Constitution in case of the resurgence of Japanese militarism.

However, Japan has long been trying to break through the postwar arrangements imposed by the US. Abe argues that Japan should have a Constitution established by the Japanese themselves to replace the existing Constitution imposed by the US after Japan's defeat. Due to US leniency against a number of militarists some of whom became active postwar politicians and their refusal to teach young people in Japan about the country's war atrocities, Abe has clinched support from growing groups of right-wing nationalists while trampling on anti-war voices.

The second purpose of Japan's constitutional revision is to remove restrictions on Japan's military development and the use of military force and make the Self-Defense Forces a full-fledged military. Abe is eager for the SDF to have the right to exercise collective self-defense, so they can be used overseas, as this will further speed up the country establishing a fully fledged military, which goes in the opposite direction of the current Constitution.

Besides trying to revise the Constitution and build a military, Japan's long-term goals include returning to the international political arena, independently participating in regional and global affairs without US influence and using force in settling international disputes.

To amend the Constitution, Japan has to break through the postwar international order established by the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation, which is equivalent to challenging the international community.

The postwar international order has already been championed and advocated by countries all over the world, and the desires of the Japanese right-wing forces should be checked for the sake of peace and humanity.

The author is an expert in Japanese studies with the Academy of Military Sciences.