 DPJ group calls for new Constitution allowing nuclear armaments A group of the opposition Democratic Party of Japan has released a proposal demanding that a new Constitution allow Japan to possess nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons in the future. The DPJ group called Sohken Kaigi (the conference for creating a new constitution) is composed of lawmakers who belonged to the former Democratic Socialist Party. The group led by Yonezawa Takashi, a House of Representatives member, released its proposal on February 15. It calls for deleting or amending Clause 2 Article 9 renouncing Japan's war potential because it is nonsense. The proposal also stresses that Japan must be cautious about maintaining the three Non-Nuclear Principles or declaring that it bans possessing nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons. Akahata of February 18 warned that this proposal is tantamount to a call for the amendment to the Constitution so that Japan may possess nuclear weapons and other kinds of weapons of mass destruction in the future. Nishimura Shingo, House of Representatives member, who ostensively calls for nuclear armament, belongs to this group. (end) |