Kishida: “Hurry up for constitutional amendment”… We need to wash away concerns about ‘abandonment of the peace route'[사설]

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said yesterday, “I will proceed with the proposal for constitutional amendment as soon as possible.” In the House of Representatives elections held after the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the Liberal Democratic Party, as well as the coalition ruling party and other opposition parties positive for constitutional amendment, won over two-thirds of the total number of seats proposed to amend the constitution, indicating that they would speed up constitutional amendment. it has been formalized

Revision of Japan’s peace constitution is a long-standing task pursued by the conservative right, but Prime Minister Kishida’s remarks about accelerating constitutional amendment are attracting attention as he has maintained a prudence in promoting constitutional amendment. With the global intensification of the new Cold War, there seems to be no opportunity for constitutional amendment as it is now, as there is a growing fever of tribute to former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a symbol of the right. When the discussion begins in earnest, it is not easy to coordinate between the factions, and it is unknown whether the public will respond to it.

Discussions about amending Article 9 of the Constitution will be on the rise right now. The LDP plans to pursue a plan to specify the possession of the Self-Defense Forces while maintaining Article 9, which stipulates ‘permanent renunciation of force, non-retention of land, sea, and air’s power’. In addition, if Japan formalizes possession of the ‘capacity to attack enemy bases’ that can effectively preemptively strike and increases the defense cost from 1% to 2% of GDP, Japan will go beyond a ‘country capable of war’ and become ‘worldwide’. It will transform into a ‘third-largest military power’.

Japan’s becoming a military power inevitably stimulates the vigilance of neighboring countries. Japan, which has a history of imperialist aggression, was able to achieve economic prosperity after its defeat in World War II by accepting the ‘unarmed peace’ symbolized by Article 9 of the Constitution. However, it is natural for neighboring countries to be concerned about Japan’s rise as a military power once again without reflection and apology for the past.

Japan’s attitude is compared to Germany, which, as a war-criminal country, has consistently offered apologies and correct history education. Germany has also declared a ‘transition of the times’ such as increasing military power in the recent Russian war of aggression, but is not neglecting efforts to allay suspicious eyes around it. This is because the shameful past cannot be buried with a formal apology or political and legal closure. Nevertheless, Japan is in a hurry to avoid such a history. We must first build trust in peace before proceeding to the right.

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