The constitutional revision committee of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has resumed debate on revisions to the supreme law, including war-renouncing Article 9, planning to present a draft for the article as early as next month.
The LDP's Headquarters for the Promotion of Revision to the Constitution held a meeting for all of the party's lawmakers at the LDP headquarters on Sept. 12, to discuss revisions that would clarify the existence of the Self-Defense Forces (SDF).
Okiharu Yasuoka, leader of the headquarters, suggested presenting a draft revision at the next meeting relating to Article 9 -- expected in late October -- in line with a proposal by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that would uphold the first and second paragraphs of Article 9. The first paragraph renounces war, while the second states that Japan will never maintain the potential for war.
It was the first time for the headquarters to convene a meeting since the reshuffle of Cabinet members and LDP officials in August. Through his proposal, Abe seeks to win support from his party's coalition partner Komeito. Legislators who attended the meeting were supportive of the move. Comments included that it was significant from the perspective of "sweeping away the unconstitutionality of the SDF," and that it was a "realistic move with a view to holding a referendum" on the issue.
Read the full story at The Mainichi
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