U.S. experts cautious on Abe seeking constitutional revision

Reading this article, the phrase 'intellectual yet idiot' comes to mind.

Abe is more realistic than last time when he was a prime minister. Politicians are not commentators or scholars who are idealistic but not responsible.

"If the Abe government revises Article 9, this will be viewed both internally and abroad as a step toward military expansion, which would not promote Japan's best interests or peace in the region more broadly."

This is exactly why Japan wants to change it. They want to go back to being the bad boy bully of Asia. Abe and his imperialistic cronies keep spouting off about military threats from China and the DPRK, but Japan’s biggest military threat is itself. The small playground bully always gets swatted by a bigger bully. If Japan changes the constitution it will destabilise all of Asia. I have no doubt that, if they change it, the first thing they will do is set up military batteries on the Sengoku islands and those islands in the north disputed with Russia. They will have naval ships patrolling the seas around Japan with orders to shoot. Let’s hope the majority of Japanese people who are against the change get up from their sofas and vote against it.

"But this is not the right moment," he said. "If the Abe government revises Article 9, this will be viewed both internally and abroad as a step toward military expansion, which would not promote Japan's best interests or peace in the region more broadly."

"Abroad" here refers only to China (PRC) and North Korea. South Korea has a public against it but noyt their military. No other nations have any problems with it and do not see it as military expansion. Rather it is welcomed by Southeast Asia nations like Vietnam and the Philippines as well as former WWII enemies like the U.S., UK, Australia, etc.

Abe received a standing ovation for his address before a Joint Session of Congress. America knows that the "return to militarism" nonsense is Chinese propaganda and a few rightwing nutbags. Unfortunately this "expert" doesn't know, or he's on Beijing's gift list.

https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/shinzoabejointsessioncongressspeech.htm

That will be the end of democracy in Japan, for ever.

Like we have any democracy now....

close relationships he has developed with U.S. President Donald Trump and other world leaders.

Err, which other world leaders?

@alfie. Don’t give away state secrets, how about to research the State Security Bill, State Secrets Bill, and the Conspiricy one. This is a one party right wing surveillance regime. You can become a target for free speech. Just do like me, live in the countryside and enjoy the warmth of normal Japanese friends. Enjoy nature.

From this title: U.S. experts cautious on Abe seeking constitutional revision, and why not me?

Alexandre T. Ishii, you have been consistent on the issue, more expert than the experts.

Is it a joke, or a wish, for Japan to counter China ? A bright Japan must be friendly with China, no other alternatives.

Japan needs to modify its stance of its military, and grow more capabilities to get rid of the American Guards contract. We don't need to pay for they military salary.

What kind of brain damage is required to think Japan can ever win a military battle with China?

If China decides to conscript even a tiny fraction of its population, its army would be larger than the entire population of Japan.

Please get real. A happy future for Japan is one where Abe is gone and forgotten and Japan is forging friendly relations with ALL of its neighbors, rather than trying to undo them through chest beating, indoctrination of children at right wing preschools and revisionism.

Japan does not need a large military (Even if Japan managed to sign up 20% of all able bodied men in the nation, it would still be minuscule in comparison to a Chinese invasion) and Japan does not need nuclear weapons. Forget it. Japan has had peace for many years and it ought to remain peaceful.

Many commentators here are strong supporters of Japan's pacifist constitution and they criticize loudly when Japan tries to modify the peace constitution a little bringing only to the world standard. What are the defense policy in your country? I think you have no tolerance to any threat including verbal attacks and intimidation to your country. Japanese people are losing patience humiliated a lot by provocative acts and words of our neighbors. We experienced the melancholy of the impotent enough.

*"Mr Abe's greatest contribution has been to provide stable leadership and competent management, two things lacking in the U.S. today and in Japan prior to 2012," said Steven Vogel, a professor of political science at the University of California, Berkeley.*

Hahaha! You can say that again.

there is concern that it could provoke South Korea and China, both of which suffered from Japan's wartime militarism.

Actually China suffered from the wartime militarism of Imperial Japan on the tremendous scale. But Korea? The peninsula was not even the battlefield in WW2, though.

I think Abe is playing a dangerous game, messing with the constitution, stoking up the flames of nationalism and flirting with the far right. Of course it's wise to keep an eye on China under Xi, there's no doubt that the man is a dictator and one should not be complacent about their expansionism.

None of these "experts" sound particularly well informed or unbiased.

The constitution, its self is a fudge anyway, written by American and British political thinkers and imposed upon on an occupied people who had no way to examine of debate the document before it was agreed. Imagine if you were completely beaten, degraded, destroyed and reduced to almost nothing and then made to endure the humilition of having your victor impose terms and conditions were forced on you and you were denied the ability and right to defend yourself against hostile neighbours and countries who would love nothing better than to have a go at you for revenge and because they know that you cant fight back! Pacifism is fine as long as everyone else in the room respects that. Japan is not in that position and I think you would struggle to find another country within its sphere of influence who is not itching to have a go at them!

The only reason the SDF exists is because the US realised that with out a military of some kind, they would be soley responsible for its defence and protection, a bill they would never be able to afford of realistically complete. The ability to rightfully recognise the SDF for what it is not war mongering, its correct and respectful top those men and women who wish to serve their country and protect it from harm! Every country and people have the right to defence and to deny them that is to deny them safety and security!

The revisions in my mind dont go far enough, Japan needs a constitution written by the Japanese for the Japanese that fit for the modern world and the position it finds itself in, not the world circa 1945!

Schopenhauer

One of the reasons for the progressive rise of Japanese nationalism in the last 10 years is precisely this. Verbal threats from neighbouring countries. China's worrying military rise. And having to be defended by a foreign country in case of an unwanted war. And worse. A country that does not guarantee Japanese territorial defence. But the feeling that this country is the direct cause of that war not desired by the Japanese people. I'm talking about the United States. It is still occupied part of the country for more than 70 years.

And that is the worrying thing. The longer it takes to change Article 9 of the constitution, the more people will be in favor of changing it.

"Mr Abe's greatest contribution has been to provide stable leadership and competent management, two things lacking in the U.S. today and in Japan prior to 2012," said Steven Vogel, a professor of political science at the University of California, Berkeley.

Well said ! :)

This is the time that Japan should take the first step to get rid of the past and the protection of an low-trust ally..

With the irreversible rise of the far right in continental Europe, the new Evening land may follow ..