INTERVIEW: SDP vows to block constitutional amendment

July 9, 2019

Tokyo--The Social Democratic Party aims to prevent parties supporting constitutional amendment from securing a two-thirds majority in the July 21 House of Councillors election, Secretary-General Hajime Yoshikawa has said.

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party is highly likely to speed up preparations for constitutional reform if the proamendment camp, including the LDP, gains a two-thirds majority in the election for the upper chamber of Japan's parliament, Yoshikawa said in a recent interview.

"The biggest challenge for now is to block the LDP, its coalition partner, Komeito, and Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Innovation Party) from winning a combined two-thirds majority," he said. A two-thirds majority is the minimum necessary to propose a constitutional revision.

Although Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the LDP's president, is eager to revise war-renouncing Article 9 of the constitution, "very few" people want such a revision, Yoshikawa said.

"If a third provision is added to the article, it would make its second provision, which prohibits Japan from possessing any war potential, a dead letter," Yoshikawa said. "We can't let that happen."

The LDP has proposed adding a new third provision to recognize the existence of the Self-Defense Forces without changing the second provision.

"Under the current diplomatic policy just following the United States, such a constitutional revision could lead to SDF participation in activities involving the use of force overseas if something happens in the Middle East," he said.

In the Upper House election, the party hopes to win a combined three seats in constituency and proportional representation contests, he said.

The top priority is to win 2 pct of overall votes to maintain its status as a political party, he added, stressing that, to the SDP, the election is a fight for survival as a national party.

This will also be an election to create a foothold for ending the Abe administration, which has brought a crisis to people's lives, regional communities and the constitution, he said.

On the planned consumption tax increase to 10 pct in October, Yoshikawa said that when the tax was raised to the current 8 pct in April 2014, consumer spending slumped even though the economy was recovering.

As the economy is in a worse condition than in 2014, it is clear that the planned tax hike will make the economy even weaker, he said. Jiji Press