Abe calls for 'new nation-building' in Japanese constitution's 70th year

ISE, JAPAN — Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Wednesday (Jan 4) that his administration will proceed with “new nation-building” in 2017 as Japan marks the 70th anniversary of its post-World War II constitution, a document he has long sought to revise.

“Now is the time to look to the future, in anticipation of the next 70 years, and proceed with new nation-building,” Mr Abe said  a New Year press conference in the city of Ise in central Mie prefecture.

“We… must learn from our predecessors of 70 years ago who built post-war (Japan), face our challenges head-on, and fulfill our responsibilities for the future,” he added.

Revising the war-renouncing constitution, which was introduced while Japan was still under post-war occupation by the United States and has remained unaltered since, has been a long-standing goal both of Mr Abe and the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) he leads.

Gains by the LDP and like-minded lawmakers in last year’s upper house election pushed them past a legal hurdle required to formally consider a constitutional amendment.

Hinting at a more self-reliant Japan, Mr Abe said that “our future is not something we are given by (other) people”.

“We, the Japanese people, will carve it out with our own hands – now is the time when the grit (to do so) is needed.”

Abe also said his administration will “keep putting the highest priority on the economy this year”, continuing to work to pull Japan out of deflation that has dominated the past two decades.

Abe said the next ordinary Diet session will convene on Jan 20 and will be aimed at “opening up (Japan’s) future”.

Amid speculation that he will call for a snap election, the premier said he is “not thinking at all of dissolving” the House of Representatives for a snap election, which he has the sole discretion to do at any time.

Noting that 2017 is the year of the rooster according to the Chinese zodiac, Mr Abe said he will continue to advance “proactive diplomacy, looking across the globe with a bird's-eye view, this year”.

Last month, Mr Abe hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin for a summit in Japan. Sources say that Mr Abe and US President-elect Donald Trump may be planning a meeting in America at the end of this month, shortly after Mr Trump's inauguration. KYODO NEWS