Overhauling the Constitution, which was imposed by the Allied Occupation, is one of Abe's top goals. The 1947 charter bans military force in settling international disputes and prohibits maintaining a military for warfare. It has never been altered.

"A bold review of Japan's postwar stance and an in-depth discussion of the Constitution for a 'new Japan' is necessary . . . to open up a new era," Abe said May 3.

He added he is determined to work "toward a Japan that instills confidence and pride among its children."

In a drive that began under his predecessor, Junichiro Koizumi, the government has been pushing for constitutional changes that would remove some restrictions on the Self Defense Forces, including clearly recognizing the right to have a standing army.

Public support for constitutional change is mixed. In separate poll results published May 3, the Mainichi Shimbun and Nikkei newspapers said 51 percent of those surveyed supported changing the Constitution.

But in a poll published May 2 by the Asahi Shimbun, 49 percent of the respondents said they prefer keeping the pacifist clause intact, while 33 percent favored changing it.

The government has stretched the Constitution's limits, interpreting Article 9 to mean the country can have armed troops to protect itself and allowing the existence of the Self-Defense Forces.

The Japan Times Weekly: May 12, 2007
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