Word: ldp
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...rattle the cool, calm demeanor of Shoichi Nakagawa as quickly as mention of Japan's World War II abuses committed against "comfort women" -those citizens of captive Asian nations forced into prostitution by the Japanese military. The conservative No. 3 man in Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) can't hide his annoyance at the resolution, currently nearing a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives, calling on Japan's Prime Minister to fully apologize for its role in abusing the "comfort women...
...like to keep Prince Pickles in mind as Japan inches closer to revising its pacifist constitution, adopted during the American occupation after World War II. On April 13, the ruling coalition, led by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), pushed through legislation in the Diet's lower house that set ground rules for updating Japan's basic laws to reflect 21st century realities. The bill now resides in the upper house; passage could eventually lead to a national referendum on the future of the constitution's Article 9, which prohibits Japan from waging...
...Constitutional change would open the door for the normalization of Japanese forces, allowing greater participation in international peacekeeping operations, closer cooperation with the U.S., and perhaps the acquisition of offensive weapons such as cruise missiles. It would also fulfill a goal the LDP has held since it was established in 1955. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made constitutional amendment the cornerstone of his young administration, declaring that Japan must "slough off the postwar regime." That kind of talk sets off alarm bells for critics who view any easing of military limits as the beginning of a backslide into wartime aggression. (Former...
...took power. While Koizumi continually irritated his neighbors by visiting the controversial Yasukuni Shrine, which honors Japan's war dead, Abe tactfully sidestepped the issue by refusing to say what he intends to do about Yasukuni. "He's shown real success in dealing with this," says Koichi Kato, an LDP heavyweight who has been critical in the past of Abe's nationalist leanings...
...advisers know that diplomatic successes play well in foreign op-ed pages. But they also realize the Prime Minister must begin to show that he can address the pain Japanese voters are feeling at home-while reassuring a worried LDP that he can still lead the party to victory in the crucial July elections. In recent weeks there has been disquieting dissension within the Prime Minister's own Cabinet. Abe has had to rein in his Defense Minister and Foreign Minister over remarks both men made that were critical of the U.S., Japan's key ally. The diplomatic damage...