LDP Emphasizes 'Constitutional Revision' in This Year's Party Policy... First Full Mention Since Abe's Return to Power

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] According to the Mainichi Shimbun on the 19th, Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is expected to put constitutional revision at the forefront of its party policy for the first time since Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's return to power.

According to the report, the LDP included content related to constitutional revision under the title "Towards a Constitution Suitable for a New Era" in the draft party policy to be submitted at the party convention scheduled for the 8th of next month. The draft contains guidelines such as "We will do our best to create an environment that allows the submission of a constitutional revision proposal to the National Diet" and "We aim for constitutional revision to complete the creation of a country for the future."

The LDP evaluated that it received strong public support to promote constitutional revision discussions in last year's House of Councillors election and announced that it will discuss constitutional revision beyond the framework of the party and factions (similar to negotiation groups).

Kyodo News reported that this is the first time since Prime Minister Abe's return to power in December 2012 that the LDP has treated constitutional revision as a separate chapter in its party policy, contrasting with last year when it was handled briefly due to concerns about opposition party backlash.

However, it is uncertain whether the LDP party convention will be held as scheduled. On the same day, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported that the LDP is considering postponing the party convention due to concerns over the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). Mainichi reported that postponement or downsizing is under consideration.

In addition, the Democratic Party for the People decided to change the venue of its party convention scheduled for the 22nd from a hotel to the party headquarters and significantly reduce the number of attendees. The Constitutional Democratic Party held its party convention on the 16th of this month but asked members and supporters to refrain from handshakes.