Will Abe Change Japan’s ‘Peace’ Constitution?

President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speak together while feeding fish at a koi pond at the Akasaka Palace, Monday, Nov. 6, 2017, in Tokyo.
President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speak together while feeding fish at a koi pond at the Akasaka Palace, Monday, Nov. 6, 2017, in Tokyo. AP Photo/Andrew Harnik
President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speak together while feeding fish at a koi pond at the Akasaka Palace, Monday, Nov. 6, 2017, in Tokyo.
President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speak together while feeding fish at a koi pond at the Akasaka Palace, Monday, Nov. 6, 2017, in Tokyo. AP Photo/Andrew Harnik

Will Abe Change Japan’s ‘Peace’ Constitution?

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Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has won a third term in a snap election. His Liberal Democratic Party won nearly 80 percent of seats in Japan’s lower parliament. That helps empower Abe to push through reforms to Japan’s constitution.

In place since 1947, the charter’s pacifist Article 9 renounces war completely and bans a standing military. Last year, Abe proposed to revision to allow a Self-Defense Force, and polls show the Japanese public as divided on Abe’s proposal. 

To discuss what potential reforms could mean for Japan, we’re joined by Kenneth Mcelwain, an associate professor of political science at the Institute of Social Science at the University of Tokyo.