Prime Minister Abe proposing new approach to country’s charter as his party struggles to gain public support for change
Poll results released Monday show that about half of Japan’s population supports a constitutional revision that would clarify the legality of the country’s military, a new approach Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is proposing as his party struggles to gain public support for a change.
Abe proposed recently that Japan in some way indicate the existence of the Self-defense Forces, which is not spelled out in Article 9 of the constitution. The article renounces war and the use of force to settle international disputes.
He made the proposal this month in what was seen as a compromise, but opponents see it as a step to justify expanding Japan’s military capabilities, which currently have to be kept to a minimum.
In the Nikkei newspaper poll, 51 percent of 1,595 respondents supported including a reference to the Self-defense Forces in Article 9. Thirty-six percent were opposed.
Recent polls by other major media outlets also showed mixed results.
