The Lower House constitutional review committee asked each party on Thursday to set out the themes it wants debated. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party and Nippon Ishin no Kai called for faster talks on Article 9, but their positions on what to change remain far apart.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, the LDP president, has spoken of a timetable for submitting a revision. That point falls in February, and there is no sign the parties will converge by then.
Yoshitaka Shindo of the LDP proposed writing the Self-Defense Forces into Article 9, one of the four items the party wants amended. "Debate on Article 9 concerns the foundation of national politics and is a vital matter," he said, calling for continued intensive discussion to deepen the arguments.
Keishi Abe of Ishin also named Article 9, but went further. He argued that as long as paragraph 2, which says Japan will not maintain war potential, stays in place, "the sterile argument over whether the Self-Defense Forces count as war potential will go on forever." Ishin wants paragraph 2 deleted and a national defense force established, a gap with the LDP that the session made plain again.
Yuichiro Tamaki, leader of the Democratic Party for the People, also said the parties were not aligned.