Japanese PM Takaichi Reiterates Desire to Amend Constitution, Intends to Pave Way for Parliamentary Proposal
At the LDP party conference, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (also LDP President) stated her goal to have a constitutional amendment proposal ready for motion by next year's conference. She expressed a strong desire to submit a draft amendment to the Diet and called for accelerating discussions, potentially marking a turning point for Japan's security policy.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 13, 2026 at 12:43
- 🔍 Collected: April 13, 2026 at 12:51 (8 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 13, 2026 at 13:01 (9 min after Collected)
Central Message
(CNA, Tokyo, 13th, Comprehensive Foreign Report) At the 93rd party convention of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) yesterday, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who is also the LDP president, addressed the issue of constitutional amendment in her speech, stating, "I hope that by the time of next year's party convention, we will be in a state where we can say a motion is in sight."
The Yomiuri Shimbun reports that Takaichi's words show her intention to propose a constitutional amendment to the Diet as soon as possible.
Takaichi led the LDP to a landslide victory in the House of Representatives election in February of this year, and after the election, she stated that she would challenge the revision of the constitution.
The procedure for constitutional amendment in Japan is for each party to submit a draft to the Diet, which is then reviewed by the constitutional review committees of the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors. If it is passed with the approval of two-thirds or more of all members of both houses, it is then put to a national referendum. If the yes votes in the referendum exceed half of the total valid votes, the constitution can be amended.
The LDP currently holds a two-thirds majority in the House of Representatives on its own, but in the House of Councillors, even with its coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party, it does not reach a majority.
During this session, the House of Representatives' Commission on the Constitution began discussions on the 9th of this month, and various parties have presented their opinions in the review committee.
The report points out that the focus is on whether they can begin drafting a revised bill for an emergency situation clause. At the party convention, Takaichi emphasized, "The constitution is an ideal blueprint that depicts the kind of country we want to build," and said, "Let's ask the people with confidence."
Jiji Press reports that Takaichi also said at the party convention, "This is not a discussion for the sake of discussion; what we should be doing is a discussion for the sake of decision-making," stressing that the evaluation work of the constitutional review committees of both houses should be accelerated.
The LDP also approved its action plan for 2026 yesterday. Based on the victory in the House of Representatives election, it states, "This is an excellent opportunity to build a foundation to win all elections," and announced that it will "fully commit" to local elections and the House of Councillors election.
The action plan also explicitly states the goal of submitting a constitutional amendment draft to the Diet. (Compiled by: Yang Wei-ching) 11504113
(CNA, Tokyo, 13th, Comprehensive Foreign Report) At the 93rd party convention of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) yesterday, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who is also the LDP president, addressed the issue of constitutional amendment in her speech, stating, "I hope that by the time of next year's party convention, we will be in a state where we can say a motion is in sight."
The Yomiuri Shimbun reports that Takaichi's words show her intention to propose a constitutional amendment to the Diet as soon as possible.
Takaichi led the LDP to a landslide victory in the House of Representatives election in February of this year, and after the election, she stated that she would challenge the revision of the constitution.
The procedure for constitutional amendment in Japan is for each party to submit a draft to the Diet, which is then reviewed by the constitutional review committees of the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors. If it is passed with the approval of two-thirds or more of all members of both houses, it is then put to a national referendum. If the yes votes in the referendum exceed half of the total valid votes, the constitution can be amended.
The LDP currently holds a two-thirds majority in the House of Representatives on its own, but in the House of Councillors, even with its coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party, it does not reach a majority.
During this session, the House of Representatives' Commission on the Constitution began discussions on the 9th of this month, and various parties have presented their opinions in the review committee.
The report points out that the focus is on whether they can begin drafting a revised bill for an emergency situation clause. At the party convention, Takaichi emphasized, "The constitution is an ideal blueprint that depicts the kind of country we want to build," and said, "Let's ask the people with confidence."
Jiji Press reports that Takaichi also said at the party convention, "This is not a discussion for the sake of discussion; what we should be doing is a discussion for the sake of decision-making," stressing that the evaluation work of the constitutional review committees of both houses should be accelerated.
The LDP also approved its action plan for 2026 yesterday. Based on the victory in the House of Representatives election, it states, "This is an excellent opportunity to build a foundation to win all elections," and announced that it will "fully commit" to local elections and the House of Councillors election.
The action plan also explicitly states the goal of submitting a constitutional amendment draft to the Diet. (Compiled by: Yang Wei-ching) 11504113