Priority of Article 96

The argument over amendment of the Constitution is converged into whether the Article 96 should be changed. The Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, announced his intention that he would raise this issue as a campaign promise of the Liberal Democratic Party at the election of the House of Councillors this summer. The structure of pros and cons among parties is getting clear. The situation is the right side that upholds the change is overwhelmingly strong.

The Article 96 determines how to propose amendment of the Constitution. “Amendments to this Constitution shall be initiated by the Diet, through a concurring vote of two-thirds or more of all the members of each House and shall thereupon be submitted to the people for ratification, which shall require the affirmative vote of a majority of all votes cast thereon, at a special referendum or at such election as the Diet shall specify,” says the article.

Abe reiterates that he wants to loosen the restriction of amendment by changing two-thirds vote requirement for each House of the Diet to a half. “It is strange that legislators just a little more than one-thirds can halt amendment, even if a majority of people in Japan wants to change the constitution,” he insists. Polls actually show that over fifty percent of people support amendment of the Constitution. But, Abe is saying that he wants to change the rule of game in play, simply because audience is supporting him.

The focus at the election is whether LDP and Restoration Party would be able to get two-thirds of seat in the House of Councillors, because that fulfills the condition of the amendment, already having two-thirds of majority in the House of Representatives. The amendment is now on a borderline. If the support for Abe’s economic policy now will be maintained until the election, it may be possible. But, market is always fragile.

New Komeito, within the coalition cabinet of Abe, is reluctant to support the amendment of Article 96. If the party stands firm on the side of LDP, it will be easier for Abe to achieve his goal. New Komeito has, however, been appealed itself as a peace party. It will be hard decision for them to accept the amendment, which may lead to the change of war-renouncing Article 9.

Rest of the parties is against the amendment. Your Party says there is something to be done before that. People’s Life Party, led by Ichiro Ozawa, rejects the discussion, saying no one argues grand vision of Japan. Communist Party and Social Democratic party are against it from the perspective of left side ideology. The Democratic Party of Japan can still not have clear position, divided between pros and cons inside the party.

There still is a fundamental argument about Abe’s attitude. Why does he focus on the Article 96, while he insists on Article 9 as the biggest significance? Abe needs to make clear the priority on which amendment is the most important.