Japan ex-PM Yasuhiro Nakasone turns 100, calls for change to post-war pacifist constitution in birthday message
Yasuhiro Nakasone has long advocated amending the US-drafted charter to clarify the ambiguous status of the military – a goal shared by incumbent premier Shinzo Abe
It is somehow fitting in a country known for longevity that one of Japan’s most prominent former leaders has reached 100 years of age.
As a second world war naval officer, Yasuhiro Nakasone witnessed the depths of his country’s utter defeat and devastation.
Four decades later he presided over Japan in the 1980s at the pinnacle of its economic success. In recent years, he has lobbied for revision of the war-renouncing, US-drafted constitution, a long-time cause that neither he nor any successor has achieved to date.
He urged politicians to seriously tackle the matter, which remains a contentious topic among the Japanese public.
“To resolutely open the path to the nation’s future … is the essence of politics,” Nakasone said in a statement issued to mark his birthday that was carried by Japanese media.
Nakasone, who is cared for by his 71-year-old daughter at their Tokyo home, is slowing down but in fine health, his aide Masaki Donji said.