Japanese Prime Minister and Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leader Kishida Asako led the LDP to win 316 seats in the House of Representatives election on February 8, breaking the record set by former Prime Minister Nakasone Yasuhiro who secured 300 seats in 1986. South Korean media analyzed that Kishida Asako has long advocated amending the "Peace Constitution" to transform Japan into a so-called "normal country" with the right to wage war. Now that the LDP has achieved a major victory, it is expected that she will find it easier to push for constitutional amendments, and the possibility of Japan becoming a "country capable of waging war" may rise.

The South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo reported that according to Japanese law, to propose a constitutional amendment, it needs the agreement of two-thirds of the members of both the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors, followed by a referendum. Now that the LDP has won 316 seats in the House of Representatives, it exceeds the threshold of 310 seats required to propose a constitutional amendment, which is favorable for advancing the constitutional amendment issue. Although the ruling coalition does not yet have more than half the seats in the House of Councillors, there are still challenges in passing the final procedural hurdle. However, the LDP's major victory will significantly strengthen its control over the agenda, making it easier to advance discussions on constitutional reform and exert greater political pressure on the House of Councillors and opposition parties.

In addition, the New Party, which forms a ruling coalition with the LDP, reached an agreement with the LDP last year to discuss amending Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution and establishing emergency provisions. Article 9 of the Constitution states that Japan does not recognize the right of the state to wage war and does not maintain land, sea, and air forces or other war potential, which conflicts with the LDP's proposal to include the Self-Defense Forces in the Constitution.

Original: toutiao.com/article/1856618771066954/

Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.