National Referendum bill to pave the way for destroying Article 9

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National Referendum bill to pave the way for destroying Article 9
Akahata editorial (excerpts)

The House of Representatives Special Committee for Research on the Constitution began on October 26 discussion on bills separately submitted by the ruling parties and the Democratic Party to establish the procedure for a national referendum on constitutional revision.

A Liberal Democratic Party member who chairs the Special Committee has declared that the ruling parties intend to enact the bill in the current Diet session.

Most of the public, however, have never called for an enactment of such a bill that will pave the way to destroy Article 9 and turn Japan into a nation to fight wars abroad. Therefore, submitting the bills to the Diet is unjustifiable.

The ruling LDP and Komei Party as well as the Democratic Party are insisting that their bills are aimed at simply establishing a procedure for the sake of formalities, pretending that these bills are not linked with the move to revise the Constitution.

Nevertheless, as Japanese Communist Party representative Kasai Akira emphasized at the Special Committee meeting on October 26, these referendum procedure bills constitute a step toward the revision of the Constitution.

Aiming at carrying out the revision of the Constitution within a period of five years, Prime Minister Abe Shinzo has expressed his hope that a national referendum law be enacted in this Diet session.

The LDP has already published its draft constitution which replaces Clause 2 of Article 9 that stipulates the renunciation of war potential and the right of belligerency with provisions that enable Japan to possess self-defense armed forces and use force abroad.

Calling for an "addition to the Constitution," the Komei Party has proposed in its new action policy to legitimize the Self-Defense Forces and allow the dispatch of the SDF abroad in the name of "contribution to peace."

A Democratic Party proposal calls for allowing the SDF to participate in United Nations-led multinational forces and, as such, use force abroad.

In the past 60 years, the Diet has never discussed a national referendum bill. It is because the Japanese people as a whole have envisioned no specific revision of the Constitution. Even today, public opinion surveys show that a majority rejects the revision of Article 9.

What is worse, these bills are designed to minimize the legal requirements for the revision of the Constitution, impeding a fair reflection of the public will.

In fact, the LDP bill might allow a draft constitution to pass with affirmative votes of only less than 30 percent of eligible voters.

The bill will also allow pro-constitution revision forces to carry out enormous advertising campaigns using public money, since it prescribes that such money will be allocated to each party in accordance with the number of its Dietmembers.

More than five million public servants and teachers will be robbed of their rights to freely express their opinions.

These bills, submitted with the single aim of destroying Article 9, must be firmly rejected.
- Akahata, October 28, 2006