Abe Shows Eagerness for Constitution Revision Proposals

October 25, 2018

Tokyo- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expressed eagerness in a policy speech on Wednesday to submit proposals by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party to revise the constitution to the Diet, the country's parliament.

His first policy speech since he won a third three-year term as president of the LDP last month was made at plenary meetings of both chambers of the Diet, during an extraordinary session convened the same day to run for 48 days through Dec. 10.

In the speech, he pledged to make efforts to gain further understanding from Japanese citizens of constitutional amendments, through the submission by the LDP of specific proposals to revise the supreme law to the commissions of the constitution of both chambers of the Diet.

"I'm convinced that an agreement as broad as possible will be achieved across the political boundaries of ruling and opposition parties" on constitutional amendments if in-depth discussions are carried out at the commissions, Abe said. "Let us fulfill our responsibility together as parliamentarians."

The prime minister also expressed his intention to push ahead with social security reform over three years to create a system for all generations.

The government will promote midcareer hiring and a system to raise retirement ages to 65 or older for continued employment, he said.

Abe highlighted plans to make preschool and higher education free of charge in October 2019 and April 2020, respectively.

But he stopped short of clarifying that the free education programs will be financed by revenues from the planned consumption tax hike from 8 pct to 10 pct in October 2019. The government will "take every possible measure so the (tax) hike will not affect the economy," he said.

Abe also mentioned a new resident status to expand the number of foreign workers in Japan. "We'll make Japan a country that gathers excellent personnel from around the world," he said.

Aiming to wrap up Japan's postwar diplomacy, Abe stressed that he "must face up to" North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to resolve the issues of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea decades ago.

On a territorial dispute over the four Russian-controlled islands in the northwestern Pacific, known as the Northern Territories in Japan, Abe said he will make efforts to resolve the issue under a relationship of trust with Russian President Vladimir Putin and conclude a World War II peace treaty between Japan and Russia.

The row over the islands, seized from Japan by Soviet troops at the end of the war, has prevented the two countries from concluding a peace treaty to put a formal end to their wartime hostilities.

Prior to his planned visit to China from Thursday, Abe reiterated that he will work to develop Japan-China relations to "a new phase."

On Japan-U.S. trade negotiations set to start as early as January next year, Abe said, "We will further promote free and fair trade and produce reciprocal outcomes."

On the management of his government, he said that "I will run the administration by bracing myself up" so people think its strength is its long period.

Also on Wednesday, Finance Minister Taro Aso delivered an address at plenary meetings of both Diet chambers following the submission of the draft first supplementary budget of fiscal 2018, through next March, totaling 935.6 billion yen, to the Diet.

Aso emphasized that the government will make "every possible effort" for reconstruction in areas hit by a series of recent major disasters.

Of the extra budget, 727.5 billion yen was allocated to restore areas affected by the powerful earthquake that rattled northern Osaka Prefecture, western Japan, in June, torrential rain that hit western Japan in July, powerful Typhoon Jebi and the strong earthquake that shook the northernmost Japan prefecture of Hokkaido, both in September, Aso said.

He also said that 108.1 billion yen has been put aside mainly to install air conditioners at public elementary and junior high schools and fix dangerous concrete block walls. Jiji Press