Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Monday that he wanted a flexible discussion of the constitutional amendments that would clarify the status of Japan's Self-Defense Forces
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd July, 2019) Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Monday that he wanted a flexible discussion of the constitutional amendments that would clarify the status of Japan's Self-Defense Forces.On Sunday, the ruling coalition failed to gain the two-thirds of seats in the country's upper house, the House of Councilors, necessary to amend the constitution without discussions.
"Although we have provided a basis for debate, which we believe is the best, we want to have flexible discussions without sticking to our proposal," Abe was quoted as saying by the Kyodo news agency.
Abe's government has been seeking to change the country's main law so that the Japanese Self-Defense Forces are mentioned in it and no one could call their existence "anti-constitutional." The support of the majority of the country's citizens is also needed for the constitution's reform. Therefore, a national referendum should be organized to approve constitutional amendments.
At the same time, neighboring countries, primarily North and South Korea, have repeatedly expressed fears that Tokyo is trying to revive Japanese militarism that made the Korean people suffer a lot during World War II.
