Japan Press Weekly

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2019 May 15 - 21 [POLITICS]

'War against Russia' gaffe-making lawmaker belonged to anti-Article 9 political party

The "Nippon Ishin no Kai" political party, which expelled Dietmember Maruyama Hodaka from its membership ranks due to his outrageous remarks implying support for "war" over the Japan-Russia territorial dispute, is in actuality a party hostile to the war-renouncing principle of Japan's postwar Constitution.

The Ishin party has always served as a pawn of Prime Minister Abe Shinzo in his attempt to take the teeth out of the Constitution's pacifistic spirit.

The founder of the Ishin, former Osaka City Mayor Hashimoto Toru, in regard to the Constitution's Article 9 which denies Japan's right to belligerency, insists that Article 9 in essence is a declaration that no efforts are necessary to maintain peace and thus Japan does nothing to that end.

Hashimoto, while he was an Ishin co-leader together with former Tokyo Governor Ishihara Shintaro in 2013, stressed the need to radically revise the Constitution, which he said is the source of an unrealistic state of peace, and wrote constitutional revision into the Ishin's platform as a party objective. This clearly shows the party's true nature praising prewar Japan.

Osaka Governor Yoshimura Hirofumi is also an Ishin member. He in a speech he made to support an Ishin candidate in a Lower House by-election in April said, "The Liberal Democratic Party is not as eager as our party to amend the Constitution. It's shameful. We would spark debate on constitutional reform like dynamite exploding in the Diet."

The Ishin's present leader, Osaka City Mayor Matsui Ichiro in early May released a statement in support of PM Abe's efforts to change the Article 9. Matsui in the statement said, "The Diet, if necessary, should propose amendments to the Constitution and the Constitution should be revised in accordance to the results of a national referendum. This is what is called 'constitutionalism'."

Another Ishin lawmaker, Adachi Yasufumi attended a rightwing rally in early May and said, "Taking the occasion of the start of the new imperial era Reiwa, our party will motivate the lukewarm LDP to outline a course within this year toward a national referendum on constitutional amendments."

Past related articles:
> Osaka Ishin favors constitutional revision [March 27, 2016]
> Osaka Ishin no Kai is constitutional revisionist Abe’s supplementary party [December 23, 2015]
> Ishin-no-Kai members call for restoration of prewar Constitution [October 3 & 5, 2012]
> ‘Ishin-no-Kai’, old-fashioned dangerous political party [September 29, 2012]
> JCP needs to expose true nature of ‘Ishin-no-Kai’ and talk to voters [September 13, 2012]