Leading Japanese prime ministerial candidate Shinzo Abe said
Monday he hopes to amend the country's post-war pacifist
constitution within five years.
Abe, who has an overwhelming lead in the race to replace Prime
Minister Junichiro Koizumi this month, also said in a televised
debate with his rivals that he would work to repair damaged ties
with China and South Korea.
The front-runner favors a more assertive Japanese foreign
policy, and pledged to push for revisions in the 1947 pacifist
constitution to make it easier for the country's military to join
peacekeeping teams and other foreign operations.
"Amending the constitution is not something we can achieve in
one or two years. I am thinking more of a five-year span," Abe said
in his debate with Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki and Foreign
Minister Taro Aso.
"We will make efforts to further the national debate and attain
the required two-thirds consensus," Abe said, referring to the
portion of parliamentary support needed to pass a revision. "If we
make progress, we may bring our plans forward."
Abe also hinted that he might visit the Yasukuni Shrine as
premier, though he said such a pilgrimage would not be in his
official capacity. China and South Korea both invaded by Japan in
the past have strongly protested such visits, since the shrine
honors war criminals among Japan's war dead.
"I will not say, because it will become a foreign policy issue,"
he said when asked if he would visit as prime minister. "In any
case, the visits are not official."
Japanese leaders over the years have attempted to blunt the
impact of Yasukuni visits by saying they were private. Koizumi,
however, has refused to make such a distinction, though he has
signed the guest book there as prime minister.
Despite the divisive Yasukuni issue, Abe said he was prepared to
improve frayed ties with China amid reports he is making efforts to
meet with President Hu Jintao at a regional meeting in
November.
Abe is widely seen as the favorite to win the September 20
election for a new president of the ruling Liberal Democratic
Party. The party president is virtually assured of becoming prime
minister because the party controls the powerful lower house of
Parliament.
The LDP proposed constitutional amendments last year that would
create an official role for the Japanese armed forces, allow them
to assist military allies and help with armed international
peacekeeping.
(China Daily September 12, 2006)
