Next Japan PM pledges to deny sex slaves, foster arms buildup

Next Japan PM pledges to deny sex slaves, foster arms buildup. November. 22, 2012 07:57. bae2150@donga.com.

The likely next leader of Japan announced campaign pledges Wednesday that deny the country`s forcing of women into sexual slavery in World War II and that promote rearmament of the country.

Shinzo Abe, the chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party, made the announcement in a news conference titled "I will regain Japan."

The heads of both the main and opposition parties in Japan support the constitutional revision of a peace law, making it more likely for Abe to materialize the pledge if elected prime minister.

He promised to elevate Takeshima Day that falls on Feb. 22 as a government event. Takeshima is Japan`s name for the disputed Dokdo islets, which Korea has control over. Japan`s Shimane Prefecture had enacted an ordinance on the day to shore up Japanese sovereignty claims to Dokdo.

Saying he will promote diplomatic policy that preserves national interests, Abe promised to secure personnel, equipment and budget for the Self-Defense Force while strengthening the role of the Japan Coast Guard.

He also pledged to form an exclusive organization to do historical and academic research on territorial issues, adding that he will have civil servants move to the disputed Senkaku Islands (called Diaoyu by China) and tighten fisheries conditions including ports for strengthened domination.

On Japan`s previous sexual enslavement of women for its imperial army, he offered to make an accurate counterargument on Korea`s claims on the matter and provide evidence. Textbook screening standards will be fundamentally reformed to correct the neighboring country clause, he added, and education that involves reflection of the past will be banned.

On the military, Abe proposed a constitutional law revision that changes the Self-Defense Force to the National Defense Force. The conditions for the revision proposal will be eased from consent by more than two-thirds of Diet members to more than half. This is aimed at revising Article 9 of the Constitutional Law, which bans Japan from forming military forces and going to war.

His announcement included that the right to collective self-defense, which refers to helping an ally when the latter is attacked by other countries, will go through constitutional interpretation revision, while the basic law on national security will be re-established to clearly allow the exercise of self-defense rights.