Desire for Active Constitutional Discussion Spans Political Spectrum; Yomiuri Poll Shows Lively Debate Favored by Supporters, Opponents of Amending Constitution

By Yohei Odakura / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

1:00 JST, May 4, 2025

In a recent opinion poll on the Constitution conducted by The Yomiuri Shimbun, many respondents expressed hope for more active discussions on the Constitution.

At the moment, with the Diet controlled by a minority government, it is hard to know how to move forward with such discussions. But the political parties are going to be tested on whether or not they can meet the public’s expectations.

Overall, 74% of respondents agreed with the idea that the various political parties “should engage in more active discussions on the Constitution.”

When survey participants are broken down by preferred political party, the results show that this feeling was shared by no less than 70% of respondents in any given category: 73% of supporters of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party agreed with it, as did 76% of those of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, a little less than 90% of those of the Japan Innovation Party, 82% of those of the Democratic Party for the People and 70% of those without party affiliation.

Dividing the results by whether participants are in favor of or against amending the Constitution, 87% of those who said they are in favor (or 60% of all respondents), and even 55% of those who said they are against it (or 36% of the total) said they would like to see “more active discussions.”

Nonetheless, opinions were divided on how exactly Diet members should proceed with these desired discussions on commissions on the Constitution of both chambers.

Fifty-three percent of respondents said the drafting of specific provisions should not proceed until a broad consensus is reached by the majority of political parties.

Meanwhile, 43% said that the parties in favor of revising the Constitution should move forward with drafting specific provisions.

The percentage of those who said the drafting of specific provisions should move forward was 50% among LDP supporters, slightly less than 60% among JIP supporters and 60% among DPFP supporters, but only 31% among CDPJ supporters.

Moreover, only 26% of the respondents said they hope discussions on constitutional revision to move forward at the Diet while Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is in office, whereas 72% do not hope so.

By party affiliation, 41% of LDP supporters said they hope so, while 21% of those who support opposition parties and those with no party affiliation said likewise.

Constitutional amendments have to be initiated by the Diet, where they must receive affirmative votes from two-thirds of the members of each house, after which they require the affirmative vote of a majority of all votes cast in a national referendum.

Kenneth Mori McElwain, a professor of comparative political institutions at the University of Tokyo, said, “We can perceive people’s awareness that amending the Constitution is desirable in the long run, even if it may not be a matter of urgency. The Diet should move forward with discussions on the Constitution on diverse themes.”