Daily Lessons from Life 31 January 2013 - Japan PM says to change post-war constitution

Last day of January 2013!! How fast time passed!!!!

"Japan PM says to change post-war constitution - AFP 31 January 2013

TOKYO: Hawkish Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told lawmakers Thursday he intends to change the post-WWII constitution that imposed pacifism on Japan, in a move likely to stir suspicion in China and beyond.

"I will start with amending Article 96 of the constitution," Abe told upper house lawmakers, referring to a clause stipulating that amendments require a two-thirds majority in parliament.

In the run-up to polls, Abe said he wanted to study the possibility of altering the constitution's definition of Japan's armed forces.

The well-funded and well-equipped military -- one of the world's most technologically-advanced -- is referred to as the Self-Defence Forces, and barred from taking aggressive action.

US occupying forces imposed the constitution on Japan in the aftermath of World War II, but its war-renouncing Article Nine became part of the fabric of national life, engendering a pacifism that remains dear to many Japanese.

Retiree Kazuo Shimamura said Japan's suffering in WWII, including from two atomic bombs, was reason enough not to change.

"I want the constitution to stay as it is to prevent new wars from happening," he said.

But critics say a pledge that "land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained" ties Tokyo's hands at a time of growing regional unease and amid a sovereignty spat with China.

Japan and China have butted diplomatic heads repeatedly over the last half-year over a disputed island chain in the East China Sea.

Tokyo views Beijing's military build-up with suspicion and says its vast trading partner should be more transparent about what it spends on its increasingly mighty forces and to what end, something Abe Thursday said was a "common concern" for the entire region.

Tetsuro Kato, professor of politics at Waseda University, said any change would represent a significant shift for a generation that embraced post-war democracy, adding it would also prove problematic abroad.

Constitutional amendments in Japan require a two-thirds majority of lawmakers in both houses, and must be ratified by a referendum, where they can pass with a simple majority of those voting.

Shoichi Koseki, a constitutional history expert at Dokkyo University, said lowering the bar for amendments could create instability, allowing the constitution to change with every new government.

"Many countries require large majorities for this," he said, pointing to the tough amendment protocols in the United States as an example.""

Problematic indeed with this advocate of 'hawish' Abe!

Lessons for me are:

1. with China's military might increasing and the 'tough' talk shown towards the Philippines, Vietnam, and Japan over some disputed islands, it is a good 'excuse' or reason for Japan to 'arm' itself differently from the pacifist 'shackles' right after WWII! Yes?;

2. Well, it is be a case of 'the Man said he has all the reasons to do something while the Woman said she HAD her reasons to something else'! Both are supposedly correct and won't compromise! If so, the 2 will live in suspicion and distrust. This is unstable and undesirable and dangerous!;

3. if Mr Abe is successful, there is no guarantee that the distrust and suspicion may get spin out of control and an accidental war in the region may well trigger WWIV - the FINAL World War?

Let's see how things develop here as some said Mr Abe's health is not that great. Maybe he will give up on pushing this change?