During the current Diet session, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party plans to concentrate on the passage of a bill to revise the law on a national referendum on constitutional amendment, which will simplify the voting procedures for revising the top law.
To lay the groundwork for advancing discussions on the Constitution with the opposition parties in the Diet, the LDP has decided to refrain from making any conspicuous moves as it works out a draft revision of provisions in the Constitution. The party's headquarters, tasked with promoting constitutional amendment, is putting together the draft and the party hopes to complete it by the end of this year.
Referring to the bill to revise the national referendum law, discussions on which have continued for a long time in the Diet, Toshihiro Nikai, secretary general of the LDP, said during a press conference on Oct. 27, "As we have spent many hours advancing discussions, the LDP needs to take the lead in having the Diet assume its responsibility." By saying this, he indicated the party's willingness to see the revision bill through the Diet at an early stage.
The revision bill has been under discussion continuously for more than two years at the House of Representatives Commission on the Constitution, since being submitted to the Diet in June 2018. As the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ) and other opposition parties took the stance of not going along with constitutional amendments under the administration led by then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, commission meetings have been held rarely for a long time.
Unless discussions at the commission are brought to a close, any full-fledged discussions on constitutional amendment cannot be held. Because of this, the LDP has come up with a strategy of working out a draft revision ahead of other parties, in step with the inauguration of the new Cabinet under Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, and reinvigorating constitutional discussions among the ruling and opposition parties.
Since Seishiro Eto became chief of the LDP's headquarters, it has even drawn up a schedule for working out its draft revision by the end of this year, by holding drafting committee meetings as often as twice a week.
-- Any way out?
Yet any hasty moves by the LDP would incite opposition parties. Jun Azumi, chairman of the Diet Affairs Committee of the CDPJ, on Oct. 21 strongly opposed the LDP's move to compile a draft revision, saying, "It would lead to destroying the discussions we have accumulated." Ikuo Yamahana, a CDPJ member and the lead secretary representing the opposition parties at the lower house's Commission on the Constitution, also conveyed his concern to the LDP on Oct. 26, saying, "Should any in-depth remarks be made outside of the commission, it would have an adverse impact."
In response to a backlash from opposition parties, the LDP has decided to move ahead with the meeting of the drafting committee behind the scenes. It was decided that one such meeting, scheduled on Oct. 27 at party headquarters, would not be held, as originally planned.
In the days ahead, the LDP hopes to partner with Nippon Ishin-no-kai and the Democratic Party for the People (DPFP), both of which are positive toward discussing constitutional amendment. Nobuyuki Baba, secretary general of Nippon Ishin-no-kai, said during a press conference on Oct. 26 that the party "would call for taking a vote on the revision bill on the national referendum." Yuichiro Tamaki, head of the DPFP, also said at a press conference on Oct. 20 that "forward-looking, constructive and future-oriented discussions on the Constitution should be advanced, regardless of whether we are in the ruling or opposition camp."
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