Campaign Discussion over Constitutional Amendment

While focusing on supporting households from price inflation, parties raise amendment of the Constitution of Japan in their platforms for the Lower House election. As polls of news organizations indicate sweeping victory of ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which demands a modern constitution, it became an important point of election whether powers for constitutional amendment occupy overwhelming number of seats.

The LDP included constitutional amendment as one of five pillars in its party platform for this election. The party proposed four points in 2017 under the leadership of Shinzo Abe. They are 1) writing down “self-defense force (SDF)” in the constitution with change of Article 9, 2) emergency clause for major natural disaster to maintain the legislative branch, 3) guaranteeing at least one representative from every prefecture in the Upper House, and 4) enhancement of education. They are written in LDP platform for this Lower House election.

 

Abe argued that SDF clause was needed because some scholars regarded the SDF as unconstitutional. However, there currently is no discussion to dismantle SDF because of unconstitutionality. The legislative branch can be maintained under current laws even in an emergency. Local representation and improved education can be achieved through legislative action, not by constitutional amendment. Those are the reasons why those amendments would not be necessary.

 

Japan Innovation Party (JIP) regards constitutional amendment as a driving force to push the LDP to far righter position. Implementing their coalition agreement in last October, JIP and LDP established a discussion body for making a draft for changing Article 9 of the constitution last fall. The agreement also proposes submission of a draft for the emergency clause within FY2026. It included initiative of constitutional amendment in the Diet as one of the important policies for election campaign.

 

The Democratic Party for the People (DPP) proposes constitutional amendment to maintain individual human rights and function of the legislative branch even in an emergency. Ultra-right Sanseito upholds creation of new constitution, opposing to an emergency clause that may restrict individual rights.

 

The Constitution of Japan requires two-third majority of each chamber of the Diet to initiate an amendment. If the LDP make a surge to achieve super majority and other pro-amendment parties maintain their seats, there will appear a major group for constitutional amendment after the election. It is possible that activities for constitutional amendment will be accelerated.

 

However, the initiative for the amendment needs two-third majority in the Upper House in which the leading coalition of the LDP and JIP does not have a simple majority. The Centrist Reform Alliance, Japan Communist Party or other liberal powers are reluctant to promote discussion for the amendment. Japan is not in a situation in which constitutional amendment will abruptly make a crucial progress this year.

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