Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Reaffirms Desire for Constitutional Amendment, Paving Way for Parliamentary Proposal

Tokyo, April 13 (CNA) Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who also serves as the president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), mentioned constitutional amendment during her speech at the LDP's 93rd party convention yesterday, stating, 'I hope that by next year's party convention, we will be in a state where a motion can be proposed.' The Yomiuri Shimbun reported that Takaichi's remarks demonstrate her willingness to propose a constitutional amendment motion to the Diet as soon as possible. Takaichi led the LDP to a major victory in the House of Representatives election in February this year, and she subsequently announced her challenge to amend the constitution. The procedure for constitutional amendment in Japan involves each party submitting 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 approved by more than two-thirds of all members of both houses, it is then put to a national referendum. If more than half of the valid votes in the referendum are in favor, the constitution can be amended. The LDP currently holds a two-thirds majority in the House of Representatives alone, but in the House of Councillors, even with its coalition partner Nippon Ishin no Kai, it has not reached a majority. During the current session, the House of Representatives Constitutional Review Committee began discussions on April 9th, and various parties have expressed their opinions in the committee. The report pointed out that whether a draft amendment to the emergency clause can be formulated has become a focal point. Takaichi emphasized at the party convention, 'The constitution is an ideal blueprint that depicts what kind of country we want to build,' and stated, 'Let's openly ask the people.' Jiji Press reported that Takaichi also stated at the party convention, 'It's not about discussing for the sake of discussion; what needs to be done is discussion for decision,' emphasizing the need to accelerate the evaluation work of the constitutional review committees of the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors. The LDP also passed its 2026 action plan yesterday, stating that based on the victory in the House of Representatives election, 'This is an excellent opportunity to build a foundation for winning all elections,' and announced that it would 'fully commit' to local elections and House of Councillors elections. The action plan also clearly states the goal of submitting a constitutional amendment draft to the Diet.