Abe hopes to get second chance at easing limits on military

Sorry, but in my opinion this is the ultimate oxymoron and will only cause Japan great pain and further isolation in the future.

Germans and Italians are not constantly hectored about apologizing for losing the war. The victors get to write history. Most Japanese people alive now were born after WWII and very few alive today actually fought in it. Thus, why should Japan have to still apologize. The Allies were no angels either-the fire bombing of Tokyo, the bombing of Dresden etc.

The year is 2012, Japanese clearly needs to play a greater part in its own defense. South Korea arrogance towards Japan`s islands underlines this need. The talk of the 1% ceiling is something of a red herring anyway, Japan has the 6th largest military expenditure in the world anyway and in not engaged in any war zones (USA/the UK). A lot of that is spend on buying American technology. Japan has the 3rd largest GDP in the world so 1 % is still a lot of yen.

Talking to Japanese people, they are angered that despite their peaceful foreign policies, countries like China and South Korea try to bully them. It time for Japan to show its neighbours that it will not be bullied.

The usual Japan bashing based on WWII issues is losing it's relevance and significance today as all of Asia has become concerned with China's military and territorial expansion agenda.

Ossan -- hogwash. That is the worst form of apples to oranges rationalization I've ever seen, even coming from you. First of, saying Japan should never attempt to water-down or obfuscate from its previously stated apologies is not "Japan bashing". In fact, just the opposite, it is trying to push Japan into a position of clear moral leadership which it should rightly occupy, but doesn't because of thinking like yours. Second, the fact that China has become a bully is in no way related to Japan being willing to accept its past. And trying to tie the two is simply a completely simplistic red-herring. Finally, yes I did read what the Philippines said about Japan, and I had two thoughts. First, the Filipinos are clearly smart enough to follow he adage "better the enemy you know", so they'd rather see Japan get stronger, knowing full well that the U.S. will be watching closely, than let China go unchecked. Second, I also read what teh PM of Taiwan said about Japan apologizing for the comfort women, so Asia is hardly unanimous in its view of Japan.

Old grub Abe will last 6 months before scandals and pressure gets to him and he cries "regrettable bowel ailments" and quits in shame yet again. The Chinese leaders will be laughing hysterically when he is elected, high-fiving and toasting with their 21-year-old brandy bought by the hard work of their peasants. Roll on to the next so called "Prime Minister"...

KabukiloverDec. 12, 2012 - 08:30PM JST Abe is the enemy. He is a denier of the Japanese Asian Holocaust and a militarist. If he wins he must be brought >down quickly and so that he can never rise again in power.

No he is not. The Peoples Republic of China, an authoritarian militarist one-party dictatorship bent on territorial expansion and domination of Asia is the enemy. Wow...sounds just like Imperial Japan 70-80 years ago!

Has any of these politicians the objective to solve the disputes and develop together a stable region? Apart in Africa I do not see any example of such an animosity between countries of a same continent. I just do not understand.

Well the DPJ tried at first but they were quickly sabotaged by the Japanese conservatives and Americans.

Those who are critisizing Abe as warmonger for trying to change the Article 9 and rearm Japan, I bet you come from countries that don't have military force such as Costa Rica. At least he is not threatening to use that military force to attack other countries or take other countries' lands by force unlike what China is doing. He wants Japan to have a sufficient military force to be able to protect itself like most countries. There are more and more Japanese who are in favor of rearmed Japan as we are realizing that we do not live in a utopia where everyone lives in peace and respects each other. We have China at our doorstep trying to take our islands for god sake. Ironically it is China that is making us realize that the Article 9 is not doing any favor and it is encouraging China to do whatever she wants like a bully. So if you are not happy with rearmed Japan, take your complaints to China.

Has any of these politicians the objective to solve the disputes and develop together a stable region? Apart in Africa I do not see any example of such an animosity between countries of a same continent. I just do not understand.

Abe is the enemy. He is a denier of the Japanese Asian Holocaust and a militarist. If he wins he must be brought down quickly and so that he can never rise again in power.

the way he is going Abe's beautiful japan will be a bombed out wasteland apart from okinawa

Not likely but remotly possible. Everyone knows that the first one to make a nuclear attack will also be among the first to disappear from the face of the earth. Communist Chinas government must already know this. North Korea on the other hand is a different matter. They could be used as a starter. Commie Chinas governement cant act to aggressivly as long as the US is backing Japan. With a right wing government Japan will soon catch up Chinas military advantage. Not in terms of man power of course but in terms of very "sharp tools" and very reliable tech.

@scrote Why is allowing 34-49% of the population to dominate the majority a good idea in your mind?

If you want to guard against brief surges, a better move would be to put some kind of delay before final affirmation and demand >50% both times. Besides, there is already a requirement for a referendum and that should make it safe enough.

Eventually Abe will aim to have it changed at will by the PM

So block him when he tries that. Judge each proposal by its merits, not only by the worst case scenario of what it may lead to.

@comarade_captain For better or for worse, it is unlikely a seriously breakout from 1% can happen. I'll be happy if they actually turned the budget back to a 5 trillion yen level (now it is 4.6)

@Disillusioned If anything, it is the REFUSAL to amend Article 9 that gives the PRC that much ammunition on a continuous basis. After all, it is undeniable fact that Japan has been rather peaceful after WWII. The only real neta China has, other than putting Nanking in the microwave again and again and again, is the deviation from the ideals of Article 9.

When Article 9 is gone, China can make one last big scream, but then would have lost the comparison to Article 9. They would then be forced to confront the fact that ... darn it, Japan's military is much more defensively-oriented than their own.

Abe is all talk. Maintaining a full standing military force is extradionary expensive. Look at the US and the percentage of the budget which is allocated every year to maintaining its military presence. Japan has been able to grow economically due to not having this fiscal burden. Japan is already so heavy indebt. Abe is just pandering to the growing right winger sentiment. Typical politician. Article 9 is to many Japanese, sacred. China and Korea are ur neighbors. Making friends is a whole lot better than making enemies.

@Disillusioned: Most Japanese people's mental were living in her golden decade 1980s and some even want to turn back the clock to Russo-Japanese war-era!

I suspect, even if he wins, Abe won't have the opportunity to do too much damage before he's on his way again. That's how politics seems to work here....

Yeah, and we'll have Hashimoto gunning for his position, literally 'gunning'! These fools believe that a show of Japanese military strength will deter the Chinese from future disputes, but they seem to forget that the Chinese are still severely peeved about what Japan did to them in the first half of last century. Changing the constitution will only enrage the Chinese more and it will create conflict, without a doubt!

@Sentiments:Well congratulations China. Possibly a bit simplistic interpretation but if the surveys are correct you have managed to push Japan to a more right-wing policy. Do you never learn? Why are you trying to repeat history?

Does China really concerning Japan? The Peoples Republic of China is not the Republic of China, the PRC is totally nuclear armed! Chinese leaders just depising Japan and if Japan really goes right-winged, that is exactly net those leaders 'desire'! The desire of revenges!

I suspect, even if he wins, Abe won't have the opportunity to do too much damage before he's on his way again. That's how politics seems to work here....

Abe has also pledged to increase defense spending after a decade of decline, which would probably break through a de facto cap of 1% of GDP

After the 311 disaster, that attempt is to be very difficult but he may print more Yen to achieve this there will be a dire consequences!

Abe and his backers have made clear that their first target would not be Article 9 itself but a separate article spelling out the need for the two-thirds majority in both houses of parliament to enact revisions. They want to reduce that hurdle to a simple majority so that subsequent changes are easier.

If you cannot gain a 2/3 majority for changes maybe you shouldn't be changing it at all? Then again Abe is so arrogant that he believes he can force his changes down the throats of the people, regardless of what they think.

The first act of a despot is making it easier to change the constitution. Eventually Abe will aim to have it changed at will by the PM. Of course, they will also remove the need for a popular referendum on constitutional changes and that will be the end of freedom in Japan. Freedom of expression will be the first to go, along with freedom of thought. Then they will lock you up for refusing to join the military, or for "insulting" politicians, the emperor or Japan.

herefornowDec. 12, 2012 - 09:18AM JST Sorry, but in my opinion this is the ultimate oxymoron and will only cause Japan great pain and further isolation in the >future. There is no such thing as "too apologetic" for a country that colonized millions of people over decades and >brutalized scores of them and had atrocities like the: Batan Death March, comfort women, Nanjing and the numerous >human experiments it conducted -- to name just a few.

There is indeed such thing as "too apologetic" when those who demand apologies not only to reject them but to perpetuate the fallacy that no apologies were ever even made. In other words your concerns are past history and do not affect our lives today or future generations. More importantly it does not justify China's actions today. You've seen the comment from the Philippines right? You do realize that the Philippines suffered greatly at the hands of Imperial Japan....70 years ago. The usual Japan bashing based on WWII issues is losing it's relevance and significance today as all of Asia has become concerned with China's military and territorial expansion agenda.

The removal of article 9 in Japan's constitution will brought China's retaliations by renouncing no first use of nuclear arms and may consider Japan is being a potential nuclear adversary that does no fit her no use of nuclear attacks over non-nuclear armed country! Japan does has that potential and Japan next moves is uncertainty! Abe is really kicked up a wasp nest!

DebuchoDec. 12, 2012 - 08:10AM JST if you think China is mad at Japan now, JUST WAIT!

Let them be mad. They caused it.

Well congratulations China. Possibly a bit simplistic interpretation but if the surveys are correct you have managed to push Japan to a more right-wing policy. Do you never learn? Why are you trying to repeat history?

Abe and men of his ilk don't understand that part (or maybe all) of Japan is already being occupied by foreign forces. Strengthening and deepening the military alliance with the country that keeps its enormous military presence means Japan will allow permanent occupation of its territory by U.S. forces forever. Abe must think about this hard fact first and for all before trying to sell the China and North Korea threats.

China's just pissed that Japan will be able to do the same thing China lets itself do. Go self-reflect in front of a pond in the forest, baka Chinese!

There is a huge number of undecided voters, enough to swing the election in many directions. But from the start the media have been calling it "A likely win for the LDP," which just convinces many undecided people to stay away on voting day and this fulfills the prophecy.

It's not over until the fat sumo guy sings, so please everyone get out, vote and prove the biased media wrong.

I think Ozawa should be in power.

"Surveys released on Tuesday showed the conservative Liberal Democratic Party and its ally are headed for a big victory" do the media have inside information that the public don't have.??? It seems that whoever you speak to, say they are going to vote "but for who " is the reply, "its just so confusing,so many parties" and that about sums it up. With so many parties nothing changes. Bureaucrats, (the invisible men) know this, its their system, not the politicians or the publics. Politicians don't really have any power, they are just the front men for the real power brokers. Its the "System" that runs the world and they, the Bureaucrats ,are not going to change.

@Debucho Which is IMO, all the reason to do it now. In fact, it is only 20-30 years too late, thanks to the slow-moving, irrational zeitgeist of the Japanese population.

There is no "good time" to revise Article 9 in terms of not pissing off Beijing (despite Beijing's foreign and military policy being the primary cause, or at least primary mover). However, Beijing's power to hurt Japan for it would only grow with time. The next best thing to doing it 20-30 years ago is right now. Or do you think Japan could do it when China's economy is twice as large?

Well, buy nuke stocks cause the LDP will let the TEPCO boys run free again.

Japan is about to take one big step backwards and it is a shame for the country.

hereforever:

Am I missing something? It seems there is more news and longer articles about LDP. Is the media pro LDP?

I don't know whether I'm just watching the TV at the wrong time, but I've seen Abe's lame CM several times already, and I don't even have a TV at home. Yesterday, watched the TV at lunchtime - this embarrassing CM appeared twice within 5 minutes. I can't recall seeing CMs by any other parties.

Can't believe this warhawk freak is going to win. Can't believe that big business even wants him to be in power after the hit Japan has taken economically in China as of late. And as for his make work philosophy........Japan has been doing it for years and years and it does not seem to be working. hereforever. Media does seem to be pro-LDP doesn't it?

fostered too apologetic a view of Japan’s wartime history

Sorry, but in my opinion this is the ultimate oxymoron and will only cause Japan great pain and further isolation in the future. There is no such thing as "too apologetic" for a country that colonized millions of people over decades and brutalized scores of them and had atrocities like the: Batan Death March, comfort women, Nanjing and the numerous human experiments it conducted -- to name just a few.

Isn't debt, unemployment, the state of japanese firms on the global market, fukushima reactor a bigger issue(s) then have a bigger military that causes more debt?

war mongerer

I've give Abe a month, two at most!

Zichi?

Am I missing something? It seems there is more news and longer articles about LDP. Is the media pro LDP?

if you think China is mad at Japan now, JUST WAIT!

Don't think the nation is prepared to have majority agree to changing the constitution through a referendum at this time. At least not at the top of the priority list.