New world order led to push to revise Japan’s Constitution

I refer to the letter “Japan’s leaders should reassess their defence policy” (May 26).

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe hopes to revise Japan’s Constitution by 2020, especially Article 9, which renounces war as a means of settling international disputes and, to accomplish that, says the country will never maintain land, sea and air forces.

It took effect in 1947, after Japan lost the war. But the world has changed since then, politically and militarily. China has a powerful economy, and is building up its military.

North Korea is expanding its weapons programme to include nuclear bombs. Radical groups such as Islamic State and Al Qaeda are still threatening the world. In contrast, the United States is less of a deterrent force nowadays.

Given these situations, Mr Abe argues that Japan must be allowed to despatch its Self-Defence Forces to help the US and other countries, and to defend itself in the case of conflicts, by amending Article 9.