Kishida to Narrow Focus in Constitutional Revision Push; Contingency Clause, Recognition of SDF to Be Priorities

The Yomiuri Shimbun

20:00 JST, August 8, 2024

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida expressed his intention to prioritize adding a contingency clause to the Constitution to deal with such matters as armed attacks and large-scale disasters, as well as a stipulation of the grounds for the Self-Defense Forces’ existence.

“If we will hold the first referendum in Japan’s constitutional history, I would like to seek the people’s judgment on stipulating [the existence of] the SDF along with a contingency clause,” Kishida said at the beginning of a meeting Wednesday of the Liberal Democratic Party’s Headquarters for the Realization of Revision of the Constitution.

Kishida, who is also LDP president, instructed the headquarters to make a summary of agenda issues, including the stipulation about the SDF, by the end of this month.

A contingency clause would enable measures such as extending the tenure of Diet members, restricting private rights and concentrating authority in the government in the event of a major disaster or terrorist attack. The LDP currently focuses on what kinds of contingency should extend lawmakers’ tenures, while also discussing handling of emergency ordinances to be enacted by the Cabinet in the event of a major disaster. At Wednesday’s meeting, it was decided to establish a new body within the headquarters to discuss each of these issues.

Appealing to conservatives?

A constitutional revision stipulating the existence of the SDF was a high-profile topic of discussion during the administrations of the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Kishida’s comments Wednesday were seen by some in the LDP as an effort by him to attract conservative members with a view to winning reelection in the party’s presidential election scheduled in autumn.

“The time for just talking is over. The time has come to think about how to make it happen,” Kishida said at the meeting, showing his commitment to leading the party’s efforts to revise the Constitution.

He attended the meeting for about 40 minutes and listened to the opinions of those present, including former LDP Secretary General Shigeru Ishiba, who is considered a “post-Kishida” candidate.

Kishida has been calling for constitutional reform during his term as party president, which ends in September, and has been secretly calling the headquarters’ top officials to the Prime Minister’s Office to work out a strategy, even after the ordinary Diet session closed in June and the Commissions on the Constitution of both Diet chambers were no longer in session.

His order to summarize agenda issues within this month is also seen within the LDP as a sign that he is aware of the upcoming election. However, even if a consensus is reached within the party, it will still take time for the text to be drawn up and for discussions to take place with the other parties. In terms of including a provision on the SDF, the LDP’s ruling coalition partner Komeito is deeply cautious about amending Article 9, making it difficult for the ruling parties to seek out common ground.

“What’s the point of bringing this up now after three years?” a middle-ranking LDP member said coldly in response of Kishida’s remarks.