Written by Staff Writer
Hello, friends! We’re back with a post about the latest in Japanese politics. It’s the first since outgoing Prime Minister Shinzo Abe proposed revising Japan’s pacifist Constitution to let the military have the right to defend other countries.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe
The drive — spearheaded by the hawkish prime minister and his cabinet — would go further than President Donald Trump’s demand for Japan to pay more for military protection.
Abe has long advocated the overhaul — first proposed in 2013 — as he seeks a legacy after serving two terms as prime minister and four as chief cabinet secretary.
The bill must be passed by Japan’s upper house to become law. Abe’s ruling coalition is expected to easily win elections on January 22 for the upper house. But getting the legislation through the lower house — which Abe quit last month amid questions over his fitness for office — will be far tougher.
The bill was one of Abe’s biggest campaign promises in the 2011 election, when he oversaw a massive win. But he has struggled to push it through, with many in his own party now against the change.