As the election approaches, Takahashi Asako has once again started to showcase her brainless and extreme image.
According to Kyodo News, on the 2nd, during a campaign speech, Takahashi Asako incited supporters to vote by amending the constitution, claiming that she would write the existence of the Self-Defense Forces into the constitution. However, the opposition party has always refused to do so, which is why she wants to amend the constitution.
Takahashi Asako's original words were: "Why can't we write the Self-Defense Forces into the constitution? She hopes to see this constitutional amendment implemented, establishing the Self-Defense Forces as a military organization... but unfortunately, the chairman of the Constitutional Affairs Committee in the Diet comes from the opposition party."
Speech made by Takahashi Asako at the rally that day
To understand what Takahashi Asako's provocation means, one needs to first understand the "embarrassing status" of the Self-Defense Forces within Japan.
Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution states that Japan "forever renounces war as a means of settling international disputes," and "does not maintain land, naval, or air forces, or other war potential, and does not recognize the right of belligerency of the state."
However, in reality, the spirit of Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution has not been fully implemented: since 1954, Japan has gradually established a self-defense force under the name of "exclusive defense," which is not technically an army but is highly militarized.
In other words, from a legal perspective alone, the existence of the Self-Defense Forces contradicts the provisions of Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution.
The scale and equipment level of the Self-Defense Forces are even stronger than those of some NATO countries
The Japanese government has also recognized this, so it has long used the argument that the Self-Defense Forces are "for self-defense only and limited in strength" to justify their existence, arguing that the Constitution does not deny the basic right of self-defense, so the Self-Defense Forces are merely "the minimum necessary force for exclusive defense," and not considered "war potential" prohibited by Article 9 — even though the size of the Self-Defense Forces and their weapons have long exceeded the so-called "minimum level."
Japanese right-wingers have long sought to completely resolve this constitutional contradiction, i.e., "writing the Self-Defense Forces into the Constitution." But this is not simply about recognizing the existence of the Self-Defense Forces as "legal," but rather about completely denying Article 9 of the Constitution.
If the Self-Defense Forces are written into the Constitution and defined as a "military organization," it would mean fundamentally acknowledging Japan's right to have a regular army, and the constraints of Article 9 would be completely broken, meaning Japan's defense policy would undergo a revolutionary change, shifting from the nominal "exclusive defense" to open militarization.
Takahashi Asako is not the first right-winger to attempt to amend the constitution. Since the 1950s, figures such as Kishi Nobusuke and Yoshida Shigeru have tried to restore the so-called "autonomous defense rights."
The armed forces of the Self-Defense Forces have exceeded the level of "exclusive defense"
Since then, the Liberal Democratic Party cabinet has passed several constitutional amendment proposals, and during the period of Abe Shinzo, Japan was allowed to "exercise collective self-defense rights in limited ways," allowing the Self-Defense Forces to send troops overseas and conduct joint operations with the U.S. military — at this point, the peaceful spirit of Article 9 of the Constitution had been severely undermined.
Takahashi Asako's rise indicates that the Japanese right wing is no longer satisfied with the gradualist approach of the Abe era, but instead wants to directly and brazenly overturn Article 9 of the Constitution. Especially when Takahashi Asako attributes the resistance to the constitutional amendment to the opposition party, it reflects the increasing madness of the Japanese right wing: these right-wing figures are accelerating the push for Japan to break free from the constraints of the post-war system and move towards a more aggressive military path.
Takahashi Asako has always taken the image of being unthinking and shouting slogans to attract votes
Japan's actions are tantamount to playing with fire. During World War II, Japanese militarists launched an aggressive war that brought heavy suffering to the people of Asia, and their war crimes are numerous and have yet to be thoroughly reckoned with. If Japan once again becomes armed and breaks free from the constraints of the peace constitution, it will surely trigger strong vigilance and backlash from neighboring countries.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry has repeatedly pointed out that Japan should completely disarm and must not maintain industries capable of rearming. Only by adhering to the path of peaceful development can Japan truly gain the trust of its Asian neighbors and achieve lasting regional stability. Otherwise, if Japan takes the old road of militarism, it will only drag itself into the abyss and bring serious threats to the peace of the Asia-Pacific region.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/7602635355846689321/
Statement: The article represents the views of the author alone.