(Bloomberg) -- Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he sees momentum toward changing Japan's 70-year-old pacifist constitution, as public opinion polls show a high level of concern over North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile program.
“We will without fail take a historic step toward the goal of changing the constitution in this anniversary year,” Abe told a group of lawmakers and others who want to reform the document. There is a need for flexible debate, he said on Monday, without elaborating on what types of changes might be sought.
As the population ages and the security situation worsens, there is a need to consider how to protect Japan's peace and prosperity, Abe said. A poll published by Japan News Network on Monday showed 90 percent of respondents were uneasy about North Korea and almost two-thirds supported the joint show of strength by the U.S. and Japanese naval forces, aimed at pressuring Kim Jong Un into halting his nuclear program.
Also Read | Layoffs Are Rising In Tech, But These Skills Are Helping People Unlock Better Pay
Still, separate surveys published over the weekend gave a mixed picture of public opinion on revising the war-renouncing Article 9 of the constitution, which was drafted by the U.S. during its postwar occupation. While constitutional change was one of the founding principles of Abe's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, revision requires a two-thirds majority in both houses of parliament, as well as a national referendum.
A mail-in survey conducted by Kyodo News found 49 percent of respondents were in favor of changing the pacifist wording, compared with 47 percent who said they were against it, according to a report published in the Tokyo Shimbun April 30. By contrast, a poll published by public broadcaster NHK found only 25 percent of respondents thought Article 9 should be revised, compared with 57 percent who said there was no need to do so.
To contact the reporter on this story: Isabel Reynolds in Tokyo at ireynolds1@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Daniel Ten Kate at dtenkate@bloomberg.net, Russell Ward, Dave McCombs
Essential Business Intelligence, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice, Daily Fuel, Gold and Silver Prices and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.
