Shinzo Abe indicates he wants to revise Japan’s pacifist constitution
In a speech to military officers, Japanese PM says the security situation has grown severe at a much faster pace than five years ago
Less than three weeks before the ruling party leadership election, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday again indicated his resolve – in a speech to Self Defence Force officers – to seek to amend Japan’s pacifist constitution.
In a speech to some 180 senior SDF officers, Abe said, “Arranging an environment where all SDF personnel can fulfil their duties with strong pride is the responsibility of politicians living in the present. I am determined to fully carry out my duty.”
However in his speech to the SDF’s top brass at the defence Ministry, Abe stopped short of directly mentioning amending the constitution, which took effect in 1947.
But repeatedly over the past year, Abe has called for adding an explicit reference to the SDF in the war-renouncing Article 9, so that there is no room to view Japan’s military as “unconstitutional”.
Abe is widely projected to win the September 20 Liberal Democratic Party leadership election, putting him in position to become Japan’s longest serving prime minister ever.