Abe Vows to Seek Public Understanding for Constitutional Change

Tokyo, Dec. 15 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe showed willingness Monday to make efforts to obtain public understanding for an amendment to the constitution. "As president of the Liberal Democratic Party, I will make efforts to promote public understanding and support" for a constitutional amendment, Abe told a press conference after the ruling party's landslide victory in the House of Representatives election on Sunday. In the election, the LDP and its coalition partner, Komeito, maintained more than two-thirds of the Lower House seats together, the minimum required to propose a constitutional amendment. In an agreement to maintain the ruling coalition signed by Abe and Komeito leader Natsuo Yamaguchi on Monday, the two parties said that the bloc will deepen national discussions on a constitutional amendment, using the same phrase that appeared in a document signed between the two parties following the previous 2012 Lower House election, which brought Abe to power. Abe, though keen to amend war-renouncing Article 9 of the constitution, is apparently willing to take plenty of time to build consensus on the issue among the ruling parties, in light of Komeito's cautious stance. At the press conference at the LDP headquarters in Tokyo, Abe stressed that he will continue to place top priority on the economy so that people all over the country can enjoy the benefits of economic recovery. Referring to a meeting between the government and leaders of labor and management on Tuesday, Abe said that he will take the opportunity to ask employers to raise wages next spring on top of wage hikes this year. Abe apparently wants to boost consumer spending to ensure that the consumption tax will be raised to 10 pct from 8 pct in April 2017. Abe last month announced a decision to delay the increase, initially set for October 2015. END