Thread by @whatsgoingonar1

How will the LDP's planned revisions change the Japanese constitution? If you think they only want to amend Article 9, you may be surprised what's in store (a summary, from kaiseisouan.com): 🧵

#憲法改正反対
#安倍晋三
#Japan
#Constitution

1/ The preamble of the Constitution is revised to remove the government's determination "to prevent the tragedy of war".

2/ Article 9 is revised to allow: (1) the Defense Forces to go to war, (2) the establishment of military tribunals, (3) to declare that conscription will be constitutional, and (4) that citizens will have a "defense obligation".

3/ Article 12 is revised such that "responsibilities and obligations" precede basic human rights, and "national interests and social order" are likewise given priority over basic human rights.

4/ Article 18 is revised to change the conditions of detention (slavery) to allow for "political" or "military" detention. Also, the revision of this article and articles 12 and 36 allow for political or military torture in support of "national interests and social order".

5/ Article 19-2 is added to provide power to restrict freedom of the press to report on public figures such as members of parliament.

6/ Article 20 is revised to allow for "exercise of political power by religious groups" (including cults).

7/ Article 21 is revised to give priority to "public interest or public order" over "freedom of assembly, association and speech, publication and all other forms of expression".

8/ Article 21-2 is added to declare the state assumes full authority over disclosure of "national affairs", i.e., the disclosure of information is not guaranteed.

9/ Article 22 is revised to relax economic regulations, such that business activity is given priority over "public welfare".

10/ Article 24 is added to declare that "family members must help each other", i.e., the state is not responsible. N.B. this overrides Article 16 (3) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, regarding the responsibilities of the state w.r.t. the family.

11/ Article 24-2 is added to diminish citizens' rights to a clean environment.

12/ Article 29-2 is revised to give priority to "economic activity" versus the patent rights of domestic companies. Property rights must conform to "public interest and public order".

13/ Article 47 is revised to make a "one-vote gap" constitutional. This is a means for the ruling LDP to gain more seats in the legislature, in more populous regions.

14/ Article 56 is revised to stipulate that even if the opposition parties refuse to deliberate in the Diet, a small number of ruling party members can proceed with the deliberation alone.

15/ Article 66 is revised to allow "retired military personnel" to become ministers or prime ministers.

16/ Article 77 is revised to make it possible to discipline lawyers who are in conflict with state power.

17/ Article 83-2 is amended to declare that "financial soundness" is to be ensured by law, i.e., austerity may be used to bring the national economy into the black. That is: a permanent state of deflationary recession is to be stipulated by the Constitution.

18/ Article 94 is revised such that local governments no longer have the "authority to manage property" and the "authority to execute administration" will be centralized.

19/ Article 96 is revised such that proposals for constitutional amendment in both houses of the Diet no longer require "more than two-thirds" but simply "more than half".

20/ Article 97 is revised such that the guarantee of basic human rights is deleted in its entirety. Henceforth, "public interest and public order" are given complete priority over basic human rights.

21/ Article 98 is added, to declare that the Prime Minister may issue a state of emergency. The Cabinet may enact orders which have the binding force of law. I.e., this is a power equivalent to the Enabling Act of 1933, which marked the end of the Weimar Republic in Germany.

22/ Article 99 is revised such that the Constitution is no longer a chain which binds state power, but rather a chain which binds all citizens.

23/ This summary of the LDP's plan to change the Consitution is based upon an established consensus among constitutional scholars in Japan, and has been published previously. For details, see: kaiseisouan.com