National / Politics May 3, 2014
Constitution Day feted, fought over
by Ayako Mie
Japan’s pacifist Constitution is at a crossroads as the 67th anniversary of its taking effect is celebrated around the nation.
National / Politics May 3, 2014
by Tomohiro Osaki and Masaaki Kameda
With Prime Minister Shinzo Abe increasingly bent on altering the pacifist Constitution, backers and foes of his revisionist agenda held gatherings on Constitution Day on Saturday to make their voices heard. Opponents massed at a hall in central Tokyo to unify their argument against the ...
National May 2, 2014
Lawyer gives Article 9 some coffee shop buzz
by Mizuho Aoki
One morning in late April dozens of mothers, some with children, gathered at an Italian restaurant in Zama, Kanagawa Prefecture, hoping not only to dine, but also to learn what kind of future might await their children if the Constitution is amended. During the two-hour ...
Editorials May 2, 2014
As a majority of polled Japanese oppose Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's efforts to overturn the government's traditional interpretation of a constitutional principle that has enabled Japan to enjoy nearly 70 years of peace and prosperity, he should focus on improving ties with Japan's closest ...
National / Politics Apr 29, 2014
Five bill revisions eyed in collective defense legalization bid
To legalize collective self-defense, revisions are being prepared in five bills aimed at altering the government's interpretation of the Constitution, a ruling party lawmaker said Tuesday during the Golden Week holidays. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's team initially wanted to revise more than 10 laws during ...
Commentary / Japan | SENTAKU MAGAZINE Apr 22, 2014
Little was heard from Yasuo Fukuda, nor was much said about him, after he stepped down as prime minister in 2008. In recent months, though, he has been sought out by some LDP leaders to help repair the damage to relations with South Korea ...
National / Crime & Legal Apr 21, 2014
Hundreds of activists filed a lawsuit Monday with the Tokyo District Court against the government and war-linked Yasukuni Shrine, claiming Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit there last December was unconstitutional. The 273 people in the group, which includes relatives of the war dead, experts on ...
Issues | LAW OF THE LAND Apr 16, 2014
Hague jars with Japan's family law, a zero-sum game with only one outcome
by Colin P.A. Jones
A Japanese lawyer told me: "To Westerners, marriage means 1+1=2. But in Japan it equals 1." This made perfect sense to me, but perhaps I should explain.
Editorials Apr 16, 2014
The Abe administration is trying to kill — by a mere Cabinet decision alone — a constitutional interpretation barring collective self-defense that has been backed by Diet debates for decades.
Commentary | COUNTERPOINT Apr 12, 2014
Weapons for peace and proactive pacifism
by Jeff Kingston
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has relaxed curbs on arms exports and sees great market potential in Asia. In the Pacific Century, Asia's impressive economic growth is funding expanding defense budgets, making the region the most lucrative global arms market. Alas, it is also a ...