Ultraconservative lobby Nippon Kaigi backs constitution revision

These guys disgust me. They are also against the truth of the past.

All out in the open-- the plans of dirty old men who despise women and universal human rights and want things run solely to their own benefit in the guise of "traditional values." A nation heading into straight-up theocratic dictatorship. I mourn for Japan's future.

Well now they are well and truly in power and we can expect, the restoration of "traditions similar to prewar-era family values centered on the emperor, and to put national interest before individuals’ basic human rights in some cases." It's hard to believe we are in the 21st century, especially as we saw where all this bankrupt ideology led before.

In a word, frightening

How disgusting

family values centered on the emperor

Erm no, family values are centred on the family. That's what makes them family values.

to put national interest before individuals’ basic human rights

Define 'national interest'. The interests of the nation as seen by the Nippon Kaigi, ie the interests of the Nippon Kaigi? Gedddouddahere.

See, they're only joking, folks.(I wish they were...) I don't see how anyone could propose this kind of rubbish and keep a straight face.

and seek to restore Japan with more self-respect, traditional family values and principles under the emperor as head of nation,

Looking to put women back in their place, along with guys dressing in kimonos and carrying two swords.

Hopefully no one will take them seriously.

Have the lessons of nationalism and war been forgotten?

Abe did not make the constitution a focus of the election, but said on Monday he takes Sunday’s victory as a public endorsement for a revision

Er, no Shinzo, that just proves that everyone in business was fooled by your 'Abenomics' flim flam, and the greying population not caring what happens, as long as they get their ¥30,000 as promised.

Not an endorsement, but an indictment, on how bad your politics are.

Tadae Takubo, chairman of Nippon Kaigi and other grey haired oldies like Ishihara should volunteer to be frontline JSDF 'generals. They should also donate their banks, other properties, send their children into the frontline. Lead By Example. Show your Bushido spirit instead of just talking. If they don't lead by example, it is Very Honorable for ordinary Younger Generation Japanese to just escape being drafted, conscripted if LDP try to change the law to make Japan more militaristic. This happen in US where elites like Clinton, Chenney avoid being drafted during the Vietnam War. There is No Shame to avoid becoming an accessory of war mongers.

With Harry-G on this. Nippon kaigi displays many of the trademarks of a Cult, albeit with a suit and a wink.

And interesting to note that the newly appointed Chairman of the NHK executive board - Susumu Ishihara - is also an Honorary Adviser to Nippon Kaigi.

And as an aside, the same said person is also co-leader of the National Nuclear Union for promotion of the nuclear industry.

Impartiality never had it so sweet. Not!

Some people draw parallels between Nippon Kaigi and Conservative Right groups overseas like the Tea party - but that is clearly wrong, because those groups are on the fringes or of marginal / minor influence - at the mo. Whereas Nippon Kaigi is IN power now in the govt., in the business world, in the media, in many aspects of our daily lives.

Citizens really need to remove the blinkers and do a spot check on reality and become aware of what's goiing down.

here come the nutters!

Japan has a security agreement with the USA. That is all it needs. It could have zero military spending and not have to worry. Been that way for over nearly 70 years and will be that way for another 70 years. Besides china is Japan's number one trading partner, fighting with China is suicide economically.

These regressive fools want to return to the 1930s when Japan was a political train wreck. Even the emperor knows better as he has often stated. This represents a dangerous political trend that would lead to Japan fading faster then it is now economically and politically on the international level. And Abe again is one of them.

Nippon Kaigi is, like Soka Gakkai, a fundamentalist religious cult which is very powerful behind the scenes. Like other religious cults around the world they need to be watched very carefully; the final two paragraphs of the article above explain why.

Make sure your kids' have their citizenship from your home country. The rule that they have to choose at age 22 is not being enforced. As of now.

If push comes to shove do you want your kids to die for Nippon Kaigan and/or the emperor?

Disgusting old farts are clinging to stupid old ideas. The scariest thing is that many of the members of that cult are in powerful and influential positions so the danger of turning Japan back towards the bad old days is quite real.

I am glad they aren't offering ￥92000 a month to families who enroll their children in military high schools. Oh wait, they are

"Traditional family values", one of the most dangerous combination of words to ever exist in any language

RealCDNJUL. 14, 2016 - 07:18AM JST

Is public interest ahead of individual interest such a bad thing?

If it's people like these determining what's in the public interest, then yes.

A little less selfishness, but rather a focus on the good of society, might not be so terrible? Sadly, too many youth (in particular) may have been unduly influenced by 'western values', which do not actually serve their interests in the long run... but rather those of the corporation.

But it's okay for them to serve the national interest instead?

SchopenhauerJUL. 14, 2016 - 07:27AM JST

Forget about these old guys.

Oh, right. They have most of the Cabinet and more than half the Diet in their pockets, but okay.

Hardly surprised anybody. I'm more concerned about:

seek to restore Japan with more self-respect, traditional family values and principles under the emperor as head of nation

What do they mean by "traditional family values and principles," hmm? Maybe a trip back in time to the good ol' days when foreigners and women did not deserve or have the same rights as men...?

"This is a golden opportunity that has never happened before"

A vile, poorly educated, ignorant and backward looking human being. I hope that younger generations join together to stand up against this kind of cancer. This is their golden opportunity to deny once and for all such people from positions of authority. Japan will never move forward while such thinking remains prevalent among the ruling classes.

" It also believes the U.S. postwar occupation brainwashed Japanese with guilt and that education since the war was self-degrading."

These guys make Neo-Nazi rhetoric seem like roses and puppy dogs. At least they have no qualms about admitting what they did in the past. The Nippon Kaigi believe they did absolutely nothing wrong, that any atrocities are lies and propaganda, and that they "rescued Asia from the West", etc.

And yes, they are a cult. There was a good article about how they fit the bill in the news the other day. Needless to say, not publisehd in Japan.

"Ultraconservative" is one way to put it...

It’s time to grow out of Japan’s “silly” postwar goal of becoming an economic power with lightweight military, and seek to restore Japan with more self-respect, traditional family values and principles under the emperor as head of nation,

To quote the Daily Beast:

Nippon Kaigi originally began in the early 1970s from a liberal Shinto group known as Seicho No Ie. In 1974, a splinter section of the group joined forces with Nippon o Mamoru Kai, a State-Shinto revival organization that espoused patriotism and a return to imperial worship. The group in its current state was officially formed in May of 1997, when Nippon o Mamoru Kai and a group of right-leaning intellectuals joined forces. The current cult’s goals: gut Japan’s post-war pacifist constitution, end sexual equality, get rid of foreigners, void pesky “human rights” laws, and return Japan to its Imperial Glory.

Japan’s leading constitutional expert, Setsu Kobayashi, who is also a former member of Nippon Kaigi, says of the group, “They have trouble accepting the reality that Japan lost the war” and that they wish to restore the Meiji era constitution.

Incredibly scary stuff!! Its truly incredible that there are SO MANY truly stupid & ignorant people running Japan all these years.............for pete's sake they CRAVE to be like NKorea!!

And ladies of Japan, do note the bit about traditional gender roles.........if you think women have it bad now, it will get MUCH MUCH worse!! Population falling, guess what you will be REQUIRED to do.......... for the public interest....OMG!!!

I hope these old ignorant fools don't gain further traction or Japan will be toast in a way I didn't even dream of!!

Those of you that aren't too deeply attached here had best KEEP IT that way so its quick & easy to depart.

Just shows how the ruling elite haven't learned a DAMNED thing from the 1920-1940's incredible!!

Japans neighbours are NOT going to like this crap!

@RealCDN. I see how to solve your problem. Your "western values", whatever they are, that so corrupt the youth and these renewed calls for promoting society above the individual can be reconciled and be made to pull in the same direction by just making Japan more resemble a corporation. It probably won't take a big leap to do this. It will resemble the corporatism of Fascist Italy. And when it suits those in power they can pick from "western values" (don't always need to call 'em that though) or tradition to emulate or to caution against to back their case, as needs be. They get a twofer that way. My bet is this is something like Nippon Kaigi has in mind too.

Ultraconservative lobby Nippon Kaigi backs constitution revision

NO!! REALLY??!! I'm shocked!!

Er, no Shinzo, that just proves that everyone in business was fooled by your 'Abenomics' flim flam, and the greying population not caring what happens, as long as they get their ¥30,000 as promised.

excellent point.

traditions similar to prewar-era family values centered on the emperor, and to put national interest before individuals’ basic human rights in some cases."

Sounds ALOT like North Korea.

Oh dear, ghoneim mohamed, you must be on something. Please keep on taking your medicine. Japan is in the greatest danger than its has been for the past 70 years and people like you certainly do not help by supporting such dangerous and unstable people. Think more about ordinary people and innocent individual instead of harking back to days of 'DaiNippon' which caused such misery and hardship for millions of ordinary people.

.No doubt he is the best Japanese prime minister in Japan modern history

No, he is most certainly not. Divisive and out of touch.

Forget about these old guys. However, I wonder why do China and Korea have concerns on this topic. I want to know how their constititions are written.

Hard to forget these guys when they have a lot of members in the government, including Abe and pretty much the LDP. You saying to "forget these old guys" is kind of like admitting that they're nutters. Well, that's the government you voted for, and you wonder why some countries or people are concerned?

Have the lessons of nationalism and war been forgotten?

This is Japan we're talking about here.

aricle: It’s time to grow out of Japan’s “silly” postwar goal of becoming an economic power with lightweight military, and seek to restore Japan with more self-respect, traditional family values and principles under the emperor as head of nation, said Takubo

The “silly postwar goal” made Japan a prosperous society and a peace-loving country. There is nothing silly about it. Japanese people already have enough self-respect. The traditional family as Mr. Takubo knows it is a thing of the past. And I guess the peace-loving emperor would wonder what “principles” this old guy is talking about.

I wonder what the average age of the members of Nippon Kaigi is. It is scary when a bunch of old people dreams of restoring what has been gone for a long time. Times have changed and the world has, too. Terrible as it sounds, these guys would do everybody a favor by disappearing from this earth as soon as possible.

If they revert back to Imperialism then I'm out of this country for good. National interest before basic human rights? What would you think will happen to non-Japanese like ourselves?

I'm a bit surprised that this loathsome old creature made an appearance at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan, actually. I thought they were trying to stay under the radar so no one would realise that they're not only delusional but also influential and dangerous. It could be a good thing if people sit up and start noticing them, though - I'd like to think they might go on some State Department and CIA "organisations to eradicate" lists.

"If I was in the prime minister's position..." don't you mean "now that in the prime minister's position Nippon Kaigi will be..."

And so it begins...

Conservative is not the right word for this group. Conservatives don't want change. They want to keep the system as it is or at most permit very gradual change.

The proper word for this group is probably "reactionary."

Let them do what they want. Not my country - couldn't give a damn. But I'll tell you what - China and South Korea are no longer the weak nations they were before. Yes, as a gaijin, I have an advantage - I can leave whenever I want. Others aren't so lucky.

@RealCDN

"Is public interest ahead of individual interest such a bad thing? A little less selfishness, but rather a focus on the good of society, might not be so terrible?"

In theory yes. Patriotism used to be a very honorable thing to do. However as the world come to realise, many wars are started by selfish politicians with their own hidden agenda. They mixed up patriotism with their personal agenda that lead to war. Bush Iraq War is the clearest example of a mixed up patriotism and personal agenda to settle scores with Saddam. Bush Sr did not finished off Saddam, so Bush Jr may feel a need to do so. Abe have his grandfather's ghost Nobusuke Kishi to answer to as well. Plus bad intel help to make war a reality.

Arm twisting of allies like UK being hoodwinked into the Iraq War as Blair found out too late. Should UK people be patriotic ever again given the lies fed to them? This is a cautionary tale to never allow politicians to 'sell' war based on patriotism again!

So, patriotism nowadays is a fraudulent argument as it is easy for politicians like cunning Abe to manipulate the minds of ordinary people. Article 9 should never be revised. Before even revising that, a law should be passed that make it Mandatory for Cabinet members, PM, DIET members who support war to have their own family members join JSDF and serve as frontline troops. Now that's real patriotism!

I would be willing to bet that until this article was written and posted here there are few people outside of Japan that even knew about these nutters.

Don't give them a forum to be heard, keep them on the fringe, like other groups within and outside the country that advocate some far-fetched and ignorant platform that no one takes seriously.

Read this crap as a sick comedy.

How about a referendum ?

Constitutional change cannot happen without a referendum. It will happen.

You can watch Tadae Takubo speaking to the FCCJ here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quERM58TlxM

Can the yen tank now then?

Ultraconservative lobby Nippon Kaigi backs constitution revision

So?

How about a referendum ?

After all, it won't be the sons and daughters of the political elite marching off to die in a war, will it?

"It’s time to grow out of Japan’s “silly” postwar goal of becoming an economic power with lightweight military, and seek to restore Japan with more self-respect, traditional family values and principles under the emperor as head of nation, said Takubo, international politics professor at Kyorin University."

If the consititution is revised, servicemen will leave the military in droves, and recruitment iwll become impossible. It's time for these revisionist septuagenarians to disabuse themselves of the silly notion that Japan will somehow be able to return to the glory days of the 1930's. They have never gotten over the defeat as it calls into question the central tenet if Japanese cultural and spiritual superiority. It makes more sense, now that the economy is on the ropes and the average age of the population approaching 60 to accept the necessity of downsizing expectations, and act accordingly.

Er, no Shinzo, that just proves that everyone in business was fooled by your 'Abenomics' flim flam, and the greying population not caring what happens, as long as they get their ¥30,000 as promised.

The vote for Jiminto was largest among voters under 40. I'm afraid we can't simply blame the election result on "the greying population", because the over 70s voted for Minshuto and Kyosanto with a higher percentage than any other age group.

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/election/sangiin/2016/news2/20160705-OYT1T50109.html

Among young people, I'm afraid the SEALDs are the exception, not the rule.

I'm a bit surprised that this loathsome old creature made an appearance at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan, actually. I thought they were trying to stay under the radar

Actually it's terrifying to see them so emboldened (by the election) as to address the FCCJ. It's clearly the first steps of a carefully planned and fully endorsed choreography.

On Wikipedia's page on the Nippon Kaigi it states, "Shinzō Abe, the Prime Minister of Japan, serves as a special advisor to the group's parliamentary league.[1]". Not a member? Is the PM evading being called a cultist? For years I wondered where PM Abe got so much confidence in all the nation's misleading he was involved in. I really did think it was Uncle Sam in one of his many masks. Why was this Nippon Kaigi hidden so long from the public eye? We know how the other East Asian countries are going to receive this Nippon Kaigi cult. How about the world media? How wIll this effect the 2020 Olympics? Who around the world will let Japan whitewash its past? Are young people going to be blocked from traveling abroad & be educated by international historic museums, etc for being unpatriotic? Welcome to Edo.

I'm all for traditional values, patriotism (not nationalism), etc. I'm not for elitism, allegiance to a person who himself takes no responsibility for his nation's misdeeds. Is it a coincidence the emperor just announced his imminent abdication<>? He wants no part of this; and if I were his kids, I wouldn't either. Japan has not dug deep enough into its roots to find its true heart. For certain, an absolute imperial system is not it.

BTW, I question those young people being enrolled in the military schools. It smells like another nationalistic move. Those kids I'd imagine are not randomly chosen, but descendants of meritorious ancestors; those who helped make Japan 'great'. The Nippon Kaigi can build that nationalistic pride in them. They'll serve as jr leaders in a system run by dynastic families. And so history repeats itself.

Everyone thinks this change is about war with China, that seems very naive a thought. Its not an issue of having a military legally capable of fighting overseas that makes me nervous it's the fact that NATO will be knocking on the door the second that change is approved. I envision this as a welcome invite, and you will see JSDF personnel in Afghanistan, and every other armpit country that can't get their act together and join the 21st century.

Yes it's terrible to see JSDF personnel dying in wars they have nothing to do with. But as a tax payer it's going to be harder to watch my salary shrink when the sales tax is 20% and the National Deficit is catching up to the U.S.

RealCDNJUL. 15, 2016 - 03:46AM JST

Mr. Abe has won a great deal of support in this recent election - the voters have voted.

You're just reading into these results what you want to read. In single seat constituency elections, it doesn't matter if the LDP candidate gets only a 25% share of the vote and the DP, JCP, SDP, PLP etc get 75% between them, as long as 25% is more than any other single candidate got. The LDP candidate still wins, even if he's not the person most voters want. Is that really so hard to understand? Moreover there is every indication from the media that there really is not much popular support for the LDP, even though they increased their share of seats - so did the Communists, incidentally. There simply hasn't been much of a choice in the last few elections. Abe is a joke. An empty-headed, morally-bankrupt, ineffectual nonentity who is good for nothing but pandering to the LDP base. The LDP are little better than geriatric kempeitai retirees. However, every criticism of the opposition is indeed justified. A halfway competent opposition leader, someone with even half the charisma and dynamism of Junichiro Koizumi, could have wiped the floor with Abe. The DP has Katsuya Okada instead. He should really a spy - being utterly forgettable would really be a career asset for him. But the DP will never seriously challenge the LDP until they have actual leadership, and voters, especially in the over-represented rural areas the LDP relies on for gerrymandering, will continue to see the LDP as the least worst option. Not the best, the least worst.

Keep in mind as well that with age comes experience and often even wisdom.

You say "even" as if that's the exception rather than the rule, in which case I'm inclined to agree.

Japan has a security agreement with the USA. That is all it needs. It could have zero military spending and not have to worry. Been that way for over nearly 70 years and will be that way for another 70 years.

You are massively overestimating the capability of the U.S. The current trajectory suggests they will be totally outclassed in a couple decades in every respect. They are already outclassed in manpower by several orders of magnitude.

The USA has a $19 trillion debt with no end in sight. Given China's increasingly economic and military might - and belligerency - Japan better come up with a better strategy than to bet it's future security on the good graces of a declining foreign power.

Couldn't agree more. Japan needs to upgrade its military considerably as well as its manpower. Only if China thinks taking on Japan and the U.S is a bridge too far, can the Japanese consider themselves secure. At the same time, they shouldn't get involved in America's nasty, often pointless wars in the Mid East and elsewhere. As a result I think it would be easier to keep the constitution as it is, which would avoid splitting the population down the middle. Just up investment, R&D and recruitment very considerably for the worlds best self defense force.

mark901JUL. 14, 2016 - 08:50PM JST

Oh dear, ghoneim mohamed, you must be on something.

It reads a bit like the kind of stuff the North Korean media might write about Kim Jong-Un, doesn't it. Well, he could be onto something - I imagine there will be quite a market for inane propaganda if Nippon Kaigi get everything they want.

I have to say that, if you watch the whole speech and interview, a rather amateurish FCCJ practically gave Takubo a free ride. He was allowed to prevaricate and talk absentmindedly. He failed to answer most of the questions properly and the journalists assisted him with questions that invited dissembling. As journalists dealing with Japanese old men they should know well to make the question concise at least. And he needed to be pinned down on the socio-political views of his group and how they would affect a future Japan. Any Japanese person watching would probably have come away with the idea that Nippon Kaigi is nothing to worry about.

WolfpackJUL. 15, 2016 - 08:13AM JST

The American people are turning inward. Its economy is in decline. The military is not going to be able to sustain its global capabilities given its exploding domestic fiscal obligations.

Fixed that for you. "It's" means "it is."

Japan needs to wise up now and begin the necessary transition to confront Chinese bullying in East Asia.

You think Shinzo Abe, the LDP and their senile Nippon Kaigi friends are the people to do it? Have you seen the mess they've made of handling the economy? Or arranging the 2020 Olympics? They can rewrite the Constitution and re-militarize as much as they like. If that lot are in charge and there's a major conflict, we're all dead.

kurumazakaJUL. 15, 2016 - 11:57AM JST

Note: To none of the above points is "Shinzo Abe is the greatest ever!" a valid answer.

But I think it's just about the only answer you should expect, albeit buried in about ten lines of platitudes, non sequiturs and waffle.

The charter renounces the use of force in international conflicts and >limits Japan’s military to self-defense only, although Japan has a well->equipped modern army, navy and air force that work closely with the >United States, its top ally.

Article 9 of the Constitution not only renounces the use of force in international conflicts,but also says "land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained," although, as JT points out, "Japan has a well-equipped modern army, navy and air force." You don't have to be an ultra nationalist to want to revise the Constitution to better reflect the 21st century reality.

Have the lessons of nationalism and war been forgotten?

They were never properly taught in Japan. Except for the two atom bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki of course.

"Any Japanese person watching would probably have come away with the idea that Nippon Kaigi is nothing to worry about."

You just nailed Moonraker. No one pays any serious attention to these loons. A year, two years, five years, a hundred years from now....the altering of Article 9 will be another great tragedy that never happened.

A year, two years, five years, a hundred years from now....the altering of Article 9 will be another great tragedy that never happened.

I agree that it is highly unlikely that article 9 will be changed lacking an imminent threat against Japanese national security. By that time it could be too late to respond to the threat effectively. The Japanese people should understand that they can no longer depend upon the US provide the kind of military back stop that they assume would be provided in the case of a security emergency. The American people are turning inward. It's economy is in decline. The military is not going to be able to sustain it's global capabilities given it's exploding domestic fiscal obligations. Japan needs to wise up now and begin the necessary transition to confront Chinese bullying in East Asia.

The NRA equivalence of lobbying

bullfighterJUL. 16, 2016 - 07:19PM JST

I don't think "they" have made things worse, and when he came in a number of prominent non-Japanese commentators claimed Abe was the best thing since sliced bread.

That was then, how about now? Are those non-Japanese commentators still saying the same thing?

Moreover, some of the things that foreign observers always assert need to be done such as deregulation or encourage entrepreneurship would not have produced major results in the span he has been office even if they had been done from day one.

I don't think anyone has been expecting any quick fixes, but as Abe really doesn't seem to have done any of those things at all we needn't expect any major results ever.

Harry_Gatto: "Nippon Kaigi is, like Soka Gakkai"

If you think the two are in any way alike then start with that as your biggest problem. Then, look up the definition of 'cult'. Buddhism doesn't fit the bill in the least, and why on earth does Soka Gakkai need to be monitored closely? Because the Komeito quickly wants to establish laws to allow the Emperor to abdicate? Because they want suffrage for people who were born and raised here but have not necessarily chosen Japanese citizenship? I suppose if you're absolutely paranoid about China then the fact that the Komeito has pushed for better ties with its neighbours might be cause for alarm bells to go off in your mind. Money scandals? Sure! But then how is that limited to them? Just look at recent Tokyo Governors and everyone else to see it's not.

BUT, the Nippon Kaigi DOES bear all the hallmarks of a cult, which is why it's so hilarious their God is now seeking to abdicate and they are imploding.

Smith Never knew there were so many positives regarding Soka gakai and it’s political wing Komeito. I don’t think Soka gakai is a cult in the mold of Nippon Kaigi , but that doesn’t change the fact that the teachings of SGI are not different from that of other religious cult being the unacceptance and co-existence of other religions. The teaching and thinking that kosen rufu will be accomplished when the emperor converts to nichiren soshu is nothing but delusional and a mark of a cult. It is no open secret why Komeito decided to join the coalition with the LDP and in most cases has go against it’s own policies to appease the LDP and in return the finances of Ikeda Daisaku (Revered by SGI member as a spiritual leader when he is not) and the organization are free from scrutiny.

If the consititution is revised, servicemen will leave the military in droves

Not if conscription is re-introduced

Have you seen the mess they've made of handling the economy?

While it is clear that "they" have not returned the economy to the halcyon days of the 1980s bubble era. I don't think "they" have made things worse, and when he came in a number of prominent non-Japanese commentators claimed Abe was the best thing since sliced bread.

Doubtless there are things "they" could have done better but Japan is also connected to the world economy and things that happen in the world economy are not controlled by Abe. Moreover, some of the things that foreign observers always assert need to be done such as deregulation or encourage entrepreneurship would not have produced major results in the span he has been office even if they had been done from day one. An economy as large as that as Japan does not turn on a dime. For example, Silicon Valley took decades to develop and it did not develop because the government said "Go forth and be entrepreneurial."

Reaicon

Thanks for your valuable post needed badly among hysteric angry hateful posts,let alone low language and disrespectful words,impolite manner,ridiculing and insulting aged voters,and attacking young ones-one called them sheep!!-a female poster called voters for LDP IDIOTS!Its surprising this big hatred,The amazing thing is that they refuse democracy because it bring what they hate,believe it or not!!How comes Japanese respect or even believe people show their interest for their good while they insult and ridiculing them when they disagree with them,thats why they keep loosing and going down always.

Japan has a security agreement with the USA. That is all it needs.

The USA has a $19 trillion debt with no end in sight. Given China's increasingly economic and military might - and belligerency - Japan better come up with a better strategy than to bet it's future security on the good graces of a declining foreign power.

It's not going to happen, folks. Article 9 is not going to be changed. A lot of panic over nothing. Abe knows that Takubo and his ilk are barking mad but he has to appear to be listening, I repeat, it's not going to happen!

Meh....it's just a bunch of old geezers wishfully thinking. This Pokemon loving generation of young people couldn't fight their way out of a paper bag..... well, maybe if you take their iPhone's away they'll swing at you like a girl..

Whew. Many posts in response to this article and other posts. There seems to be an underlying theme of 'fear' and also of denial. Mr. Abe has won a great deal of support in this recent election - the voters have voted. Keep in mind as well that with age comes experience and often even wisdom. Ridiculing and insulting based on someone else's age is quite discriminatory and disrespectful. Those same elders have accomplished much more than most, if not all, of those who have commented above.

It appears overwhelming comentators here of anti-Abe and anti-revision of the constitition are not concerned about the defense of Japan. They are after all foreigners and do not think seriously about the defense of Japan. They may welcome China and Korea take over Japan.

Great Tadae and excellent step,hopefully all other lobbies back Abe Shinzo and LDP to revise EXPIRED CONSTITUTION.There should be Japanese lobbies SAME AS STATES,support and back strongly Abe and LDP.Abe ,this exceptional extraordinary Japanese prime minister,who dares to what never any other prime minister dares to do.No doubt he is the best Japanese prime minister in Japan modern history,Japanese proved to be wise and aware enough to vote for him and LDP,i never doubt this fact.Hope this great initiative from great Tadae will be followed by other good guys.Good news,go ahead,good bless you all.

Mark901 You should take into consideration,Abe and LDP won elections and got the majority by free democratic elections,Japanese voted for them,this simply means supporting and backing.These is a fact we should not forget nor jump on,no matter who likes or hate.

@Moonraker. You have legitimate concerns but in this case I don't think Japan will revert to the pre-WWII mindset for the following reasons. 1.) Current Japan is more individual-minded than before. They complain, they file lawsuits and they do want to do what they want to do and to hell with one who doesn't like it. Case-in-point; the plummeting rates of marriage and birth. 2.) I don't care what the old farts above say, I believe they still think that the US military will back their every move. I'm sure they envision the Americans going to places and getting killed while the Japanese sit at home and make speeches and write documents. I have from good sources heard that if Japan does change Article 9 that you can expect a sizeable reduction in US forces and involvement in Japan. The US and Japan will always be allies but the dependency cycle will be stopped. 3.) The above-mentioned old farts have to understand that a fair number of Japanese men wear make-up and are more concerned about their hair than about restoring some sense of misplaces pride. You can't fight a war with men who are bothered by broken nails. In the end, I don't think Article 9 is going to be changed.

Forget about these old guys. However, I wonder why do China and Korea have concerns on this topic. I want to know how their constititions are written.

Is public interest ahead of individual interest such a bad thing? A little less selfishness, but rather a focus on the good of society, might not be so terrible? Sadly, too many youth (in particular) may have been unduly influenced by 'western values', which do not actually serve their interests in the long run... but rather those of the corporation.