Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday rallied, in his speech addressed in front of high-ranking Defense Ministry officials, for the overhauling of Japan's Constitution in order to put emphasis on the country's Self-Defense Forces (SDF).
According to the South China Morning Post, the Japanese PM told more than 150 senior SDF officers during the event that it is important for the nation to ensure the legitimacy of its defense agency whereby all personnel would be able to do their duties with "strong pride."
Abe said that this responsibility falls in the hands of every politician currently serving the Japanese government. In his own behalf, he declared to everyone present during the conference that he is "determined" to carry out that duty.
However, the 63-year-old stopped short of directly mentioning to the SDF top brass of his intentions to implement what would be the first revision of the Japanese Constitution.
As explained further over at Japan Times, the said portion of the country's law which Abe sought to amend is the Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution. It specifies the outlawing of war as a means for Japan to settle international disputes. The rule has come into effect on May 3, 1947, in the aftermath of World War II.
This, in turn, bans the Asian powerhouse from maintaining offensive military forces on air, sea, and land. This would then render the Japanese SDF irrelevant in respect of its function.
The Prime Minister, however, called for adding an explicit reference to the Defense Forces in the said Article of the Constitution. Only through this way will Japan's military forces will no longer be viewed as "unconstitutional."
Meanwhile, Abe praised the Defense Ministry for its active role in securing the safety of the Japanese people in times of natural disaster, such responding to emergencies brought by the torrential rain downpour that recently struck the western part of the country, the report from Mainichi said.
Liberal Democratic Party Leadership Election
Shinzo Abe is currently serving the Japanese government as its 57th Prime Minister and it looks like will remain for a time being.
On September 20, the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan will conduct a leadership election. Abe has widely been projected to nab the leadership spot. Should his campaign comes to fruition, this would put the Tokyo-born politician in the position as Japan's longest-serving prime minister in its history of governance under the present monarch, Emperor Akihito.
