LDP, JIP Apart over Revision of Article 9 of Japan’s Constitution

Tokyo, April 18 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party, remain apart over a revision of pacifist Article 9 of the Constitution. On Friday, the two parties kicked off discussions on Article 9, which is the foundation of Japan’s pacifism, at a meeting of a joint panel of working-level members tasked with drafting new clauses for a proposed amendment of the Constitution. It was the first meeting of the panel since the Feb. 8 general election for the House of Representatives, the all-important lower chamber of the Diet, the country’s parliament. In the poll, the two parties together won three-fourths of the 465 Lower House seats. The LDP-JIP coalition agreement calls for pushing ahead with constitutional amendment. It remains unclear, however, whether the two parties can reach a consensus as they are sharply divided over a revision of Article 9. At the start of Friday’s meeting, the LDP’s Yoshitaka Shindo said, “We first want to promote talks between our working-level members.” In contrast, former JIP leader Nobuyuki Baba cited Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remark that “the time has come” and said: “This is a very encouraging statement. It is important for the ruling parties to reach an accord as soon as possible.” The coalition agreement calls for drafting a provision for revising Article 9 as well as an emergency clause. The LDP-JIP agreement seeks to submit a draft emergency clause to the Diet within fiscal 2026, which ends in March 2027. But it does not provide a schedule for Article 9, due to the gaps between the two parties’ stances. The LDP aims to keep intact the article’s first paragraph, which renounces war, and the second paragraph, which prohibits Japan from possessing war potential, and add a new sentence that clarifies the possession of the Self-Defense Forces. The party plans to limit the country’s exercise of its right to collective self-defense. Meanwhile, the JIP is calling for removing the second paragraph and instead clarifying the possession of “national defense forces.” It seeks to allow the country to fully exercise its collective self-defense right. The LDP is cautious about the partner’s proposal, which could drastically change Japan’s post-World War II security policy, with a party official saying that it is difficult for the JIP plan to obtain understanding from the public. The LDP hopes to address the introduction of an emergency clause first, reflecting the aim of Takaichi, who heads the party, to produce quick results. At Thursday’s meeting of the Lower House’s Commission on the Constitution, the LDP proposed holding intensive deliberations on introducing an emergency clause. But the JIP called for adding Article 9 to the agenda for the intensive discussions, saying that it is “an urgent issue.” At Friday’s meeting of the LDP-JIP panel, working-level officials from the two parties only exchanged views after receiving an explanation about the outline of the discussions at the Lower House commission. “We agreed to sort out challenges and consider what is necessary,” a veteran JIP lawmaker said. But the lawmaker added, “We cannot advance talks with a preset schedule,” indicating that it is difficult to conclude the talks in a short period of time. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]