Japanese
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s ruling coalition won a landslide victory on
July 10 in an election for parliament’s upper house, despite concerns
about his economic policies and plans to revise the nation’s post-war
pacifist constitution for the first time.
Voters backed the
hawkish premier, despite a lackluster economic performance, handing his
Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its allies control of more than half
of the upper house of parliament.
An emboldened Abe called July
11 for debate on Japan’s pacifist constitution, which he said it was his
“duty” to revise after scoring a strong win in weekend elections.
“We have always set a goal of revising the constitution…that is my duty as president,” Abe said.
“But
the party does not have more than two-thirds of seats in both chambers
by itself, so I don’t expect the draft would pass as is,” he said,
referring to the parliament’s lower house as well, and suggesting
compromise was needed.
“So I hope debate will steadily deepen.”
Japan’s
constitution, imposed by occupying United States forces after World War
II, prohibits the use of aggression to solve international conflicts.
The provisions are popular in the public at large, but reviled by right-wingers like Abe, who see them as outdated and punitive.
Unofficial
results from the July 10 vote compiled by media show the LDP and its
Buddhist-backed allies, Komeito, now occupy more than half – at least
147 – of the seats in the upper chamber of parliament.
Full official results are expected July 12.
With
backing from fringe parties that also favor constitutional change, Abe
could now have the two-thirds majority that he needs in both houses to
push through an amendment to the country’s basic law.
However,
observers point out that corralling support for a revision from
coalition partners who have traditionally shied away from nationalist
posturing could be difficult.
And the proposal would still face a
referendum, with pollsters saying the vast majority of the public are
wary of any softening of the country’s pacifist stance.
Meanwhile,
China’s official agency quickly warned that the victory posed a danger
to regional stability. Commentaries by the Xinhua news agency are not
formal government statements but often reflect official thinking in
China, where memories of Japan’s past militarism still spark outrage.
“With
Japan’s pacifist constitution at serious stake and Abe’s power
expanding, it is alarming both for Japan’s Asian neighbors, as well as
for Japan itself, as Japan’s militarization will serve to benefit
neither side,” the Xinhua commentary said.