Abe Repeatedly Expresses Will to Amend Constitution to Include Self-Defense Forces

Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Son Sun-hee] Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on the 16th, "Let's put an end to the debate by explicitly stating in the constitution that the Self-Defense Forces can carry out their duties with pride." He expressed his intention to revise Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution to explicitly mention the Self-Defense Forces.

According to local media, Prime Minister Abe made these remarks during a greeting at a lecture held by the Liberal Democratic Party's Central Political Academy on the same day, saying, "I definitely want to complete the constitutional revision." Abe also serves as the president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party of Japan.

Abe emphasized that the Self-Defense Forces have gained "firm trust (from the Japanese people)" not only through military activities but also disaster relief efforts, and said, "Although the Liberal Democratic Party has made constitutional revision a basic policy of the party, it has not yet been achieved." This is interpreted as an intention to use the image of the Self-Defense Forces, which still rank as the most trusted organization among Japanese people in various surveys, as a driving force for promoting constitutional revision.

Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution stipulates the "renunciation of war and prohibition of maintaining military forces." Therefore, the existence of the Self-Defense Forces itself has been pointed out as unconstitutional. Abe's emphasis on "putting an end to the debate" means that he intends to directly overcome the unconstitutionality controversy by revising the constitution to legally recognize the status of the Self-Defense Forces.

The Liberal Democratic Party has already submitted a revision bill to add provisions related to the Self-Defense Forces to Article 9 of the constitution. Some analysts view this revision bill as effectively changing the name of the Self-Defense Forces to "National Defense Army," interpreting it as a transition of the Self-Defense Forces into a formal military force.