The Japanese parliament has approved a new mandate for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe after his party easily won a recent snap election. Abe has maintained his grip on power despite reports of influence peddling.
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Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was confirmed as head of government on Wednesday, with 312 lawmakers voting for him in Japan's 465-seat lower house of parliament. He is expected to re-appoint all of his cabinet ministers later in the day.
The conservative leader called for a snap election in September, saying that he needed a fresh mandate to deal with threats from North Korea. However, observers suggested that the move was linked with Abe's plunging ratings and scandals involving his wife Akie and friend Kotaro Kake. Abe was accused of intervening on behalf of Kake to set up a veterinary medicine school.
Despite these accusations, Abe won a resounding victory in the October 22 poll, with his Liberal Democratic Party and junior coalition partner, the Komei Party, retaining a two-thirds majority in the lower chamber. The level of parliamentary support allows the ruling coalition to reform Japan's pacifist constitution. Abe has repeatedly pushed for such reforms amid looming threats from Beijing and Pyongyang.
After a landslide victory, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has vowed to pursue his ambitious plans to revise the constitution's pacifist nature. DW examines the parts he wants to change and the obstacles in the way.
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Postwar constitution
Drafted in the wake of Japan's surrender at the end of World War II, the Japanese constitution established democratic processes, enshrined the role of the Emperor and ensured the country's pacifist nature. But decades have passed since its non-Japanese writers hashed out Japan's political future. A new wave has emerged, pushing for the recognition of Japan's right to maintain a standing military.
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Article 9: 'Forever renounce war'
Article 9 of Japan's constitution enshrines the country's pacifist nature. The first part of the article states that "Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation," while the second stipulates it will not maintain military. But Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has proposed revising parts of the constitution that forbid the country from maintaining a standing military.
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The question of recognition
While Japan's constitution forbids the country maintain a standing military, it nonetheless has one of the best-equipped militaries in the world. Tokyo justifies the existence of the Self Defense Forces (SDF) to defend the nation in the event it ever comes under attack. But Prime Minister Shinzo Abe wants to change that by amending the constitution to codify the status quo.
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Checks, balances and referendums
While Abe has the two-thirds majority in parliament to vote through constitutional changes, he vowed not to do so. In order to amend the constitution – which has never occurred since its inception – both legislative chambers need to pass it with two-thirds of the vote. Afterwards, it is put to a national referendum, which only requires a simple majority in favor for it to be accepted.
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Pacifist ideals endure
While public opinion is split on whether to revise the constitution, few voters see it as a priority. Most polls have shown that Japanese voters want to keep the country's pacifist ideals as they are enshrined in the constitution. In a poll for the top-selling Yomiuri newspaper, only 35 percent of respondents wanted Abe to recognize Japan's military, while 42 percent said they opposed the idea.
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Political divide
Even with support from his party and like-minded conservatives, Abe faces many hurdles to execute his vision. There are even differences among pro-change lawmakers on what the changes might look like. But that hasn't fazed Abe. "I have renewed my determination to secure people's lives and peaceful living, no matter what," said Abe after his party's victory at the polls.
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The first mission of the re-elected cabinet, however, is expected to be directing more funds to child care and boosting productivity. Abe is also preparing to host the US President Donald Trump, who is set to arrive to Japan on November 5 for a three-day visit.
Ahead of the visit, Trump told Abe "he is looking forward to his visit to Japan, that Japan and America are 100 percent together and there is no room to doubt the Japan-U.S. alliance," Japanese Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasutoshi Nishimura told reporters.
Abe has been in power since 2012, with Japan's economic performance gradually improving under his rule. Wage growth, however, has been sluggish and Abe's open nationalism has ruffled feathers in the region.