Ambition for Constitutional Amendment in National Convention

The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) held its annual national convention in Tokyo on April 13th. Backed by a sweeping victory in the Lower House election in February, LDP president and incumbent prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, expressed her ambition for amendment of the Constitution of Japan. The party approved a new vision to become a “national party” that would obtain wide support from the public. The LDP looks like confident in its popularity, which is substantially based on volatile support for Takaichi.

In her speech to the convention, Takaichi stressed that her party achieved a super majority with 316 seats out of 465 in the Lower House election. She interpreted it as a strong push from voters to promote some important policy changes. According to Takaichi, the changes included method of economic and fiscal policies, revising Imperial House Law, and constitutional amendment.

 

On constitutional amendment, Takaichi argued that they needed to have a discussion to decide something, without presenting what kind of change was needed. She defined a constitution as a story that would describe what kind of country the people want to build. This is the definition upheld by her political mentor, former prime minister Shinzo Abe. “I hope to have next national convention in a condition in which we can say that we have paved the way for initiating a constitutional amendment,” Takaichi said to LDP members. It was interpreted that Takaichi intended to pave the way to the amendment within a year.

 

The convention passed a resolution of New Vision for the party. The vision demands the party to be a “national party,” rooted in local communities. It also requires the party to confront populism. “Our party has a responsibility to prevent Japanese society from falling into chaos due to irresponsible words and actions that stoke social unrest and political distrust without any basis,” describes the vision. While it took distance from small populist parties that showed a surge in current elections, the president of LDP also takes similar political styles as them.

 

In LDP national election, a member of Ground Self-defense Force (GSDF) sang the national anthem, Kimigayo, to the audience. It was criticized by opposition parties that the participation of SDF member would violate a law. Article 61 of Self-defense Forces Act provides that a member of SDF cannot participate in political activities except voting in elections. The singer was introduced as “a soprano singer GSDF is proud of.”

 

In a discussion of Diet committee, an opposition lawmaker argued that the national convention was the supreme decision-making organization of the LDP and even singing a song there must be a political activity. One of the officers of Ministry of Defense defined “political activity” as a speech with political purposes. Minister of Defense, Shinjiro Koizumi, revealed that he did not know about the GSDF member’s participation and admitted a problem in communication in the ministry. LDP national convention at least uncovered miscommunication of the defense ministry.

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