BEIJING (CHINA DAILY/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe won a big mandate from voters in a snap election, a result analysts say would embolden him to push for the amendment to Japan’s pacifist Constitution for the first time since its implementation after World War II and…
BEIJING (CHINA DAILY/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe won a big mandate from voters in a snap election, a result analysts say would embolden him to push for the amendment to Japan’s pacifist Constitution for the first time since its implementation after World War II and double down on economic stimulus.
The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) led ruling coalition secured two-thirds majority in the lower house of Parliament with almost all results decided on Sunday, taking Abe one step closer to a record third term. And Abe would become the longest serving Japanese prime minister in the modern era if he remains in office until 2020.
Despite a string of alleged cronyism scandals and the ensuing approval rate crisis earlier this year, Abe managed to regain some footing and won a major gamble of calling an early election. The rewards may be bountiful for Abe but carry mixed implications for Japan and other countries.
It is no secret that Abe wants to revise Japan’s pacifist Constitution to address “increasing security threats, an aging society and the need for economic revival”.
Among the most contentious proposed revisions is the one seeking to add a clause to Article 9 of the Constitution － which in its present form says Japan will not maintain armed forces to ensure it does not wage a war again － to transform Japan Self-Defense Forces into a full-fledged military.
