Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reviews members of Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF) Oct. 26, 2014. Reuters Photo
VOA: Japanese Prime Minister Wishes to Change Constitution to Create Military Forces
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has reconfirmed his support for changing the country’s constitution to permit the creation of a military force.
"Let’s fulfill our mission by clearly writing in the constitution the Self-Defense Forces that protect peace and independence of Japan," Abe said. He spoke in a televised speech to members of his Liberal Democratic Party.
Grant Newsham is a top researcher at the Japan Forum for Strategic Studies in Tokyo. He told VOA that the Japanese government already understood the constitution’s Article 9 as permitting the creation of a self-defense force. Now, he said, Abe wishes to officially change it. He wants the constitution to recognize Japan’s Self-Defense Force as a legal organization with the aim and position of protecting the country.
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WNU Editor: The idealism of Japanese and some American leaders post World War II is now gone. Japan's Self-Defense Force is a real military, and this constitutional change (if it happens) will only make it official.
