Demonstrators shout slogans during a rally against Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's plan to reform the constitution, outside his office in Tokyo, on Tuesday night.
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Demonstrators shout slogans during a rally against Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's plan to reform the constitution, outside his office in Tokyo, on Tuesday night.
© Japan Today
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Chuichi Hashimura
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is not very good at making sense out of a passage of our constitution!
BertieWooster
Shows that not everybody in Japan agrees with Abe's wish to remilitarise the country and return to the "days of glory."
Good on you guys!
nath
If the government wants the constitution to change, it'll change. Since when do governments listen to the people? Maybe in Switzerland....
yildiray
Abe really does need to find something for the elderly to do over here... starting to think these rallies are always old people because they are bored and want to be with others for some company.
OssanAmerica
The notion that Japan trying to become a "normal" country is remilitarization and a return to the past is nothing but Chinese propaganda. Notice that all countries are for it, but China. Obviously because it would get in the way their current territorial expansion.
Mr Japan
1 word to describe Abe, IDIOT!
nath
In this case, changing the constitution will require a vote by the people, so the government cannot just change it without listening to the people.
There are plenty of non-Chinese who think that it's re-militarization.
JoeBigs
The protest was so tiny that the photographer had to find the right angle to make them seem as if there were many more people there. Hell, the protest was so tiny that it hardly registered a heart beat in any other news outlet.
If you find out the folks that were in charge of the protests and those that attended, a majority of them will most likely be members of the Communist Party of Japan and the Socialist Party of Japan both are pro-China anti-Democracy party's.
Communist are in the business of taking power away from the majority and then re-educating and oppressing.
Yep, 300 angry old Communist, Socialist and others massing together makes a majority. The only folks that don't want this to happen are the folks that support Communism and Communist China.
Translation: a huge minority living in Japan.
Just because you don't like the man doesn't mean he is wrong, it just means you don't like him.
Actually most if not all of those elderly are party of the Communist Party and the Socialist Party. Hell, if we did a bit of searching we would most likely find some members of The Japanese Red Army at these protests.
And it is also supported by a majority of the Japanese voters. If they didn't want it Abe wouldn't still be Prime Minister.
The people have spoken, they gave the LDP the majority the last few elections. No way for the Communist and Socialist to try and stop this now. They are an unwanted minority vote.
Yeah, 300 angry Communist.
The folks that matter in all this are the voters of Japan and they support Prime Minister Abe. The Japanese Communist Party and it's ally the Socialist Party of Japan don't have the support of the Japanese people.
Now, tell me something, do you also believe that Germany and Italy shouldn't have the right to have their modern militaries or do you reserve your condemnation and criticism for the Japanese only?
If you damn one while not damning the others then you don't have a leg to stand on.
Utrack
lf the first thing Abe had done was to truly contain Fukushima Daiichi and pour all the Yen he is throwing around into public radiation testing and decontamination if infected. raising the minimum wage and sanctioning companies who give mostly part-time employment..
Then could call Abe a Great Leader and not the Prima donna that l say he is today.
cleo
What about if you don't like him because he's wrong? (-which he is.)
Disillusioned
It's a wonderful thing to see this protest, but sadly, it is falling on deaf ears and the Abe gov will go ahead with their plans regardless of public opinion. Originally, there had to be a public referendum to change the constitution, but that was one of the first things Abe changed when he took power. Why? Because he is gonna change the constitution, of course! He also changed the secrecy bill, so he doesn't have to explain why. He is a goon!
Yubaru
Ummm....It requires a vote here too. It's basically a 3 step process, first the lower house has to pass it with a 2/3'rds majority, then the upper, with the same percentage, then a majority vote in a national referendum.
Getting the majority in a national referendum is the easy part from Abe's way of thinking, the public LOVES him and since his party is in control he thinks he can become the next dictator of Japan.
oldman_13
Like a broken record.
These protesters proving dead wrong those who stereotype Japanese as meek and unwilling to speak out in public or go against the grain like mindless sheeple.
trinklets2
I'm just wondering what particular group or org is sponsoring those rallies? To think that most people joining them are obaasans and ojiisans. Those age bracket have a lot of time on their hands. They have such convenient lives and maybe still living in the past in going against the tide of change. I applaud the new sense of nationalism PM Abe is espousing.
Yubaru
You must either be really, really, young, or have a poor memory. There have been better PM's than other's and I challenge you to name ONE single democratically elected world leader anywhere, from anytime "that wasn't wrong".
cleo
at heart. :-)
I've been told it's like an elephant's.
lol Who's side are you arguing? So you agree there isn't ONE single democratically elected world leader anywhere, from anytime "that wasn't wrong". - that tallies nicely with the LDP haven't had one leader that wasn't wrong. QED.
SumoBob
Sadly for the Abe government, (good for us) they can't make this change to Article 9 unless they first change Article 96, which set the bar for constitutional amendments at a simple majority, rather the current two-thirds, of both chambers of parliament. But, the other political parties know that amending Article 96 will open a huge can of worms for constitutional "reform", turning the clock back on Japan to a police state. A short, laundry list of LDP proposed changes include:
Changing Article 97 (fundamental human rights guaranteed by the Constitution are for all time inviolate) to an imposed set of "duties"(The people must respect the national flag, national anthem, and this Constitution.).
Eliminating a constitutional provision forbidding the appropriation of public funds "for the use, benefit or maintenance of any religious institution or association."
Freedom of speech would be curtailed: "engaging in activities with the purpose of damaging public interest or public order, or associating with others for such purposes, shall not be recognized."
Allow the prime minister's cabinet to inact law without the Diet: "The Cabinet may enact cabinet orders having the same effect as laws," and all persons must comply with the directives of national or other public institutions.")And the list goes on...
lucabrasi
Perhaps they're old enough to have memories of what war is and why it should be avoided, unlike certain younger, loud-mouthed politicians.
KnowBetter
War is never good and it seems such a waste of money to buy all those weapons but how do you deal with an ever growing Chinese military and bully that depends on Japan's current constitution staying in place?
What are the alternatives? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
Vincehwr
Abe doesn't realise that if he brings the country into war whether his country would be on the defensive, there is no profit to be made. It's only US that gets more cash. It's the Japanese citizens that would suffer more from the outcomes. Didn't he learn from the history how horrible the aftermath is?
He should just make a deal with China. Tell them to get off the Senkaku island and he will not make a media circus every time he and his cronies visit Yasukuni Shrine.
nath
@BertieWooster
Not everyone agreed with militarization in what you call the "glory days". Indeed, it wasn't put to the vote, not even at the high table of the military.
Hence the portrayal of the Japanese people, present and historical, in the way the troll armies suggest is utterly false.
Knox Harrington
JoeB,
Quote much?
Good to see some people protest. These are the few people who have been around, and have minds open enough to realize what might happen if you give these clowns in power too much slack on the leash. I know in Japan, the youn ones (people under 60) are busy going to Disneyland, buying LV goods and watching idiot TV in absurdum but I always feel a little bit better when I see people express their opions.
Zenpun
JoeBigs MAY. 21, 2014 - 10:32AM JST
So what! Japan has many homeless and unemployed people needed to be taken care by Communist party and Socialist party. Changing pacific constitution will make US military contractors and weapons manufacturers richer. It is not the interest of poor and broke Japanese Red Army.
In the USA, there are free food vouchers for hungry and broke. Not in the Japan. It is what Japanese Red Army is fighting for not changing the constitution. Food before the Fighter Jets!
JoeBigs
Wow, so Japan is at war? I haven't heard any bombs dropping. You guys and your what ifs and what will be predictions are so Orwellian. Please, get some new material this stuff is getting real old.
I remember when President Carter signed Presidential Directive 59 and how the left went into a frenzy. They were certain that the sky was going to start falling. Well, it's bee 34 years and we are still here. So that must mean that President Carter was right in signing it.
For those that don't know look-up M.A.D., no not the magazine the Presidential Directive.
Peace is assured if your enemies believe that you are willing to go to war to protect your freedom.
First off, no war happening, next the US and the rest of the Arms dealing nations make a mint already. How is the US MIC going to get anymore richer?
This is what you guys on the left just don't get it, Communist China is looking for a Causes Belli and any excuse will suit their purpose.
Only way to keep them in check is through fear.
And that is why the Communist Party and it's ally, the Socialist Party will never get anywhere.
You really went around the block there.
If you didn't know it, your favorite JRA was and still is considered a terrorist group. For all their so called love of the poor they certainly killed many of those very people during their reign of terror.
Now, what do these antiquated terrorist have to do with the future of Japan and it's ability to defend itself? BTW the JRA's goal was and still is to destroy Japan, not to help it.
BTW thank you for making my point ever so clearer.
No.
Everyone has a motive when it comes to politics and if you were to look up the past protests you would see who was behind them.
Not all Japanese people's minds are filled with mush. Many actually see what is going on and support what the LDP has been doing. If they didn't the LDP wouldn't have won the last few elections hands down.
Opinions are just that, opinions and if you had more than just an opinion you would present it.
In your opinion he is wrong while in other people's opinion he is spot on.
lucabrasi
@JoeBigs
As a Socialist,I find your post laughable. If you knew your history, you'd know that Communists and Socialists have been arch-enemies for decades of European, Asian and African history.
JoeBigs
I am speaking about the NSP and the SDP and their well known alliance to the JCP. look it up. At each and every anti-LDP protest here in Japan those three are holding hands. This isn't Europe and their rules don't apply.
Now, you must remember that the political spectrum and in many cases when the Communist and Socialist are minority parties they will ally themselves. Usually those alliances don't end well for the Socialist.