Japan's ruling party removes no war pledge from 2014 platform

[kristopher]

'No-war pledge' deleted from LDP's party position for 2014
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has released a proposed party position for 2014, deleting the "pledge never to wage war again" in a turnaround from last year's stance.

The party had initially included in its original draft for this year's party position a phrase saying, "... (the party is) determined to uphold a pledge never to wage war again and the principles of a peaceful country" in connection with officials' visits to Yasukuni Shrine. The updated draft, which was released on Jan. 8, deletes the statement and instead adds a phrase saying, "... bolster veneration (for the war dead)."

At an LDP General Council meeting on Jan. 7, some members raised objections to the original draft, saying, "Yasukuni Shrine was established to offer veneration for the war dead. It shouldn't be mixed up with a pledge never to wage war again."

Wataru Takeshita, chairman of the LDP Party Organization and Campaign Headquarters, explained about the deletion of the "no-war pledge" during a press conference, saying, "We put it in the preamble (of the draft)." However, the preamble doesn't contain a "pledge never to wage war again" but instead states that "maintaining peace is the foundation of our country's prosperity."

Following his controversial visit to Yasukuni Shrine in December...

http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20140109p2a00m0na012000c.html

[leftyohiolib]

1. their country's melting in a nuclear nightmare and theyre gonna need somewhere to go

and they may need to fight their way into another one

[MicaelS]

2. No they realize that China is the long-term threat. n/t

[leftyohiolib]

3. that's right arent they having a dispute over an area in the ocean around them

[bananas]

4. "maintaining peace" is Orwellian double-speak for waging war.

This is not good at all.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doublespeak

Doublespeak is language that deliberately disguises, distorts, or reverses the meaning of words. Doublespeak may take the form of euphemisms (e.g., "downsizing" for layoffs, "servicing the target" for bombing[1]), in which case it is primarily meant to make the truth sound more palatable. It may also refer to intentional ambiguity in language or to actual inversions of meaning (for example, naming a state of war "peace&quot . In such cases, doublespeak disguises the nature of the truth. Doublespeak is most closely associated with political language.[2][3]

[kristopher]

5. There is an opposition movement within the LDP

Although this article states it differently, my understanding is that, at the urging of former PM Koizumi (still very powerful) another former PM, Hosokawa is probably going to run for Governor** of Tokyo.
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/politics/AJ201401090054
Koizumi has been working to dismantle Abe's support among moderates within the LDP; and while his appeals are specifically on the nuclear power issue I believe Abe's militaristic stance and belligerent attitude is not being well received overall.

I really don't know how much of an overflow effect a successful run by Hosokawa would have on Abe's overall approach, but it could have a strong effect on the movement to recommit to nuclear power.

**See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prefectures_of_Japan

[kristopher]

6. Gov't to delay Cabinet decision on new energy policy

Gov't to delay Cabinet decision on new energy policy

The government will postpone a Cabinet decision on Japan's new basic energy policy to February or later due to a lack of coordination among ruling coalition members on nuclear power, and the Tokyo gubernatorial election that month, government sources said.

The decision came as members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its coalition partner New Komeito have failed to agree on a draft policy that would position atomic energy as a foundational power source to support a stable supply of energy. The decision also suggests the government is looking to put off setting energy policy until after the Feb. 9 Tokyo gubernatorial election as former Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa, an anti-nuclear power advocate, looks increasingly likely to enter the race.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference on Jan. 10 that establishing a responsible energy policy needs thorough discussion, taking into account some 19,000 comments from the public on the matter. While Suga denied any relationship between the Cabinet decision delay and the Tokyo election, the government is likely to settle on an energy policy after the February race....

http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20140111p2a00m0na010000c.html