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Tokyo on the way to constitutional reform; more power to the army

For the first time since 1947, the Japanese government has tackled the Constitutional Charter written after the end of the war. The concept of a pacifist nation is fading, a victory for Premier Shinzo Abe that gives rise to fears in Beijing and Seoul.

Tokyo (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Japan's parliament yesterday passed a bill that paves the way for a national referendum to make constitutional changes. Thus, the Land of the Rising Sun will be able to transform its “pacifist” nature and give more active power to its armed forces.

The law is an absolute first in the country’s post-World War II scenario: Tokyo has not touched its Constitution since 1947, after it was penned “with the help” of the Americans, after Japan’s defeat in the world war. So far, the law stipulates that the Japanese army may move “only in defence”.

The development marks a personal victory for the new Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who put Japan’s military reform at the top of his electoral manifesto. According to the terms approved yesterday, a referendum will be held by 2010 and the absolute majority of votes cast will be needed.

Anyhow, for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), the vote is just a “formality”. Yasuhisa Shiozaki, secretary-general of the ministerial cabinet, said: “The constitution will change within three years. Now it is important to deepen national debate to understand how to change it.”

This first step has already put South Korea and China – the main victims of Japan’s aggressive colonialism in the 1900s – on alert. They see the constitutional revision as a serious threat to peace in East Asia.