Pacifist constitution reform at stake as Japan goes to polls

[left-of-center2012]

Voters in Japan are casting ballots in an election for the upper house of parliament, where Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling bloc is looking to protect its majority and keep plans on track to amend the country's pacifist constitution.

Exit polls show Abe's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its junior coalition partner Komeito are on track to win more than half the 124 seats up for grabs in Sunday's vote, mostly due to a lacklustre opposition.

The 64-year-old leader vowed earlier this month to "clearly stipulate the role of the Self-Defense Forces in the constitution" which prohibits Japan from waging war and maintaining a military. The provisions, imposed by the United States after World War II, are popular with the public at large, but reviled by nationalists who see them as outdated and punitive.

Surveys show voters are divided over changing the ban, with opponents worried doing so would increase the risk of Japan getting entangled in US-led conflicts. Any constitutional revision requires approval in a national referendum.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/07/pacifist-constitution-reform-stake-japan-polls-190721055843688.html

[soryang]

1. The election was on July 21

He didn't get the 2/3 block necessary to reform the Constitution.