Big win could help Abe pursue nationalist goals (AP) A projected landslide victory for Japan’s ruling party in parliamentary elections Sunday could give Prime Minister Shinzo Abe political breathing space to push forward with his long-held nationalist agenda. While Abe has put the economy at the center of the campaign, the platform of his Liberal Democratic Party also promises to revise Japan’s constitution and actively protest what it calls “wrongful accusations” about the country’s wartime past. Media polls pointing to a larger-than-expected victory have raised right-wing hopes that Abe could hold onto power for four more years, giving him time to try to tackle their more controversial goals. “I must emphasize that a stable majority, as the media projects, makes constitutional revision a realistic option,” Satoru Mizushima, a leader of a nationalist group told viewers of a right-wing satellite and Internet TV channel. “Japan has been stuck with a U.S.-imposed constitution. In order to change the postwar regime, we must change the constitution. The upcoming election is a chance.” How far Abe can get is another question. Constitutional change is a divisive issue in Japan, and a focus on nationalist issues is one reason cited for Abe’s downfall in a short-lived earlier stint as prime minister in 2006-07. [...] newsinfl/big-win-could-help-abe-pursue-nationalist-goals/
Posted on: Thu, 11 Dec 2014 10:45:56 +0000