Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe gestures during a press conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina, November 21, 2016. [Agencies] Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has waited for the right time to show his hand. And the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, by test-firing missiles and threatening to conduct another nuclear test, has given Abe the ruse. Abe has finally unveiled his timetable for giving a newly reborn Japan a new Constitution: 2020. His announcement came on Wednesday when the country observed the 70th anniversary of the Constitution that unequivocally renounces war as a sovereign right of Japan and the threat to use or the use of force as means of settling international disputes. Addressing fellow conservative lawmakers, Abe said Article 9 needs to be amended in order to include a provision to give Japan's current quasi-army, the Self-Defense Forces, a constitutional status. And he claimed it was one of his generation's missions to make the SDF constitutional. Even though the Constitution prohibits Japan from having armed forces, the country built a military in the form of the SDF at the beginning of the Cold War. Abe also intends to introduce an emergency clause to the new Constitution that would give Japanese leaders the authority to respond to large-scale disasters. The Yomiuri Shimbun supports Abe, using the DPRK's recent repeated military provocations and China's self-righteous maritime advances and military buildup as the justification for redefining the SDF. The Asahi Shimbun, however, maintains that Japan could achieve peace and prosperity through the current Constitution, because its fundamental principles, such as sovereignty of the people, respect for human rights and pacifism, have functioned well so far. The Asahi Shimbun also warns that the Constitution now faces its gravest crisis, with the supreme charter being seriously abused under the Abe administration, which has overturned the Japanese government's traditional interpretation of the constitutional law that the right to collective self-defense cannot be exercised without amending the war-renouncing Article 9. Moreover, the Abe administration has railroaded the security legislation through parliament allowing Japan to defend its allies overseas even when it is not under attack. To showcase this breakthrough, the Japanese government, for the first time, sent the country's biggest warship Izumo on May 1 to escort a US Navy's supplier ship to join the US' military campaign to put pressure on the DPRK, without seeking approval of the Japanese parliament. The Japanese media reported that the government had initially planned such a mission for Japanese warships to take part in the Japan-US joint exercises in autumn. The Abe administration's painstaking efforts to hype up the threats from Japan's neighbors seem to have paid off, because the almost anti-militarist movement in Japan has lost momentum, as seen in the public's changing attitude toward constitutional revision. A recent opinion poll conducted by the Mainichi Shimbun showed that some 48 percent of Japanese voters believe the Constitution should be amended, compared with 42 percent supporting constitutional amendment last year. Japan is scheduled to hold elections to the lower house of parliament in December 2018, and the leader of the winning party will become the new prime minister of the country. But no natural rival to the ruling Liberal Democratic Party has emerged until now. The LDP has also changed its rules, allowing its leaders to serve a third consecutive term, which could give Abe, whose second consecutive term as the party's leader will end in September 2018, a better chance of serving as Japan's prime minister beyond 2020. The Japanese Constitution represents the shape of our country, and it should describe Japan's ideal future, Abe told the LDP's annual convention on March 5, making it clear that he aims to unchain Japan from the post-World War II regime. The author is China Daily Tokyo bureau chief. [email protected]hen party wristbandsrubber wristbandscustom silicone bandsrubber bracelets custom cheapfidget spinner bracelet
As China strives to achieve its goal of national rejuvenation in a world of complex opinions, there is no doubt it faces tough challenges in promoting its culture and making the country's voices heard. On these fronts, the country's publicity, ideological and cultural departments have played a vital role in communicating the nation's vision since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012. At a conference on publicity and ideological work held in August 2013, President Xi Jinping said, "Facing unprecedented challenges and hardship, we must persist in consolidating mainstream ideology and opinion." Xi, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, stressed positive publicity that upholds unity, stability and encouragement as a key guideline for the country's publicity and ideology work. Party leadership Since the 18th CPC National Congress, Xi has always attached importance to all areas of communication, be it in publicity, ideology or cultural work. Xi has attended several major meetings and delivered a series of speeches on these very issues. Several guidelines have been introduced on the role of literature and the arts, socialist core values, and traditional Chinese culture, all with distinct Chinese characteristics. Authorities have stepped up efforts to promote the key messages in Xi's speeches by sending Party representatives out to communities, schools, companies and the grassroots to communicate this national vision. Reforming media A series of prime-time political documentaries produced by major Chinese networks have recently become huge hits across the country. They have summarized the country's achievements in reform, rule of law, diplomacy and anti-corruption, as well as economic and social development over the past five years. The documentary teams have produced edited clips, just a few minutes long, perfect to connect with people on social media. All this shows how State media are effectively adapting to the modern era. In February of last year, Xi ordered State media to integrate new media with traditional reporting, so that the country could make use of new media's edge in modern communications. Leading State media have given priority to developing mobile platforms and reshaping their reporting processes to coordinate and integrate various tasks. Xi has told media groups to turn up their voices on the global stage, telling stories about the new, modern China, while developing flagship media groups with a strong global influence. On Dec 31, the China Global Television Network was launched with six TV channels, three overseas channels, a video content provider and a cluster of services on new media platforms. State media outlets were established in almost all key regions and major cities across the globe. Socialist core values Promoting socialist core values has long been a key part of the CPC message. According to Xi, such values include the national goals of prosperity, democracy, civility and harmony; the social goals of freedom, equality, justice and the rule of law; and the individual values of patriotism, dedication, integrity and friendship. Xi has said that the deepest and most enduring strength that a nation can have lies in the core values commonly recognized by its society. Since 2013, 116 people have been honored as national models of morality across the country. Campaigns on frugality, trust and civilized behavior have been launched across the nation, turning people into active believers and communicators of the core values that the country holds dear. Cultural prosperity China has been dedicated to speeding up and reforming the development of its cultural industry. In February 2014, a plan was approved to deepen reform on the cultural industry, setting a road map, schedule and task book for how it was going to achieve its goals. Four years later, the industry has basically completed its reforms, and numerous memorable works have been created. In 2016 alone, over 770 films were produced in China. This summer, Chinese action film Wolf Warrior 2 set a record at the domestic box office, pulling in revenue of 5.6 billion yuan ($851.6 million). The epic film tells the fictional story of a former Chinese Special Forces operative's adventures rescuing compatriots and locals in a war-torn region of Africa. XINHUA
