Ray

One wonders if this will revive Japanese militarism.

From the point of view of keeping China under check, there is definitely a requirement for the western nations to allow Japan to shake off the post WW II restrictions.

It will ensure that the Pacific does not become China's backyard pool, which in any case, it is not because of the US presence. However, with the US getting embroiled in many areas, the pressure has to be relieved and Japan suitably fits the bill in East Asia.

However, many nations which have been under Japanese occupation during WWII will be far from being amused!

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"Some have learnt many Tricks of sly Evasion, Instead of Truth they use Equivocation, And eke it out with mental Reservation, Which is to good Men an Abomination."

I don't have to attend every argument I'm invited to.

HAKUNA MATATA

Ironduke

The only thing holding the Japanese back at this point are themselves.

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The Buck Stops Here

wkllaw

Japanese militarism is definitely on the rise again as Japan tries to promote nationalism. Japan shouldn't worry about China because China isn't truly a threat for at least a decade. China maybe having a military buildup, but it's for Taiwan and China's leaders will be looking inward at China for a long time because of all the problems China faces.

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Those who can't change become extinct.

xrough

I think it would be ok if the purpose is for them to have a great stance in humanitarian reasons and since they wanted to help..and Japan has all the resources for that and i think they know their past and they learned from it..

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wkllaw

They haven't learned from their past. They haven't come to grips with it, Germany has come to grips with their past, but not Japan. They continue to whitewash their crimes and in some cases deny it completely.

Ray

It is true that China is not a threat for the moment.

But I reckon they have to prepare for the day when China does become a threat!

Japan does not have the wherewithal to face that threat when China does come into position to dominate the global arena.

One wonders what Japan or any other country can do to ensure that China does not rise to become a threat to global stability or change the current geostrategic equilibrium.

xrough

Protests as Japan's PM urges new constitution


TOKYO - Japan marked the 60th anniversary of its pacifist constitution on Thursday amid protests and debate about Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's renewed call for revision to reflect the nation's growing global influence.

Abe on Thursday reiterated his call to rewrite the US-imposed 1947 constitution in a bid to seek his vision of a more assertive Japan.

The current constitution "needs to be revised as its basic framework can no longer proceed with major changes in the administration system, relations between central and local governments, and foreign and security policies," Abe said in a statement.

Supporters and opponents alike held rallies and meetings nationwide to mark this year's Constitution Day on Thursday, reflecting the divisive nature of the plans of Abe, Japan's first premier born after World War II.

The most contentious issue is Article Nine, which renounces the right to maintain a military or even use of the threat of force as a means of settling international disputes.

Thousands of pacifist activists rallied through the capital to protest against the conservative premier's call for revising the absolute pacifism of the post-war constitution that has remained unchanged over the past 60 years.

"We oppose a revision that makes the constitution worse! We are against policies that make this country involved in US-led wars!" demonstrators chanted in a parade through Ginza shopping district in Tokyo.

"I decided to join the rally because I don't want war. Any changes to Article Nine would pave the way for involvement in wars," Takae Miyaguchi, a 58-year-old nurse, told AFP.

Meanwhile, a group of conservative lawmakers, academics and journalists held a forum in Tokyo to discuss how the constitution should be changed, and proposed a broad outline for a new text stipulating the existence of full-fledged troops, yet with the principle of pacifism.

A new constitution should "stipulate clearly the existence of troops for the purpose of self-defence," their proposal said.

But they also proposed to "firmly maintain the principle of renouncing war as a means of resolving international conflicts -- in other words, renouncing war of aggression."

The current constitution bars Japan from using or even threatening to use force as a way to settle international disputes, although the country skirts the rule by calling its troops "Self-Defence Forces."

Parliament is set to pass legislation on rules for a national referendum on rewriting the constitution -- a move likely to anger Asian neighbors who suffered under Japan's wartime aggression.

But Japan is far from an actual constitutional revision, as such a project would require approval from two-thirds of lawmakers before a draft went to a public referendum.

Latest polls conducted by local media show the majority of Japanese voters feel it is time to revise the pacifist post-war constitution, but still support the pacifism written in Article Nine.

Liberals argue that any revision to Article Nine would take Japan a step closer to engaging in armed conflicts.

Japan, which relies on the US for much of its national security, has been gradually boosting its military might, and in March deployed its first ballistic missile defense system amid growing concern about North Korea.

Japan's most high-profile mission was to send troops to Iraq on a reconstruction mission, although its forces were protected by soldiers from allied nations and returned home last year without firing a single shot.