Japan PM Kishida Shows Resolve on Constitutional Reform

Tokyo, Dec. 14 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, at a parliamentary meeting on Tuesday, expressed his resolve to carry out constitutional reform. "I'm confident that my commitment to constitutional amendment isn't lagging behind at all," Kishida said at a meeting of the Budget Committee of the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of parliament, adding that his administration has inherited the four-point amendment draft proposed by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. On the idea of introducing a basic income system that guarantees a minimum income for all citizens, Kishida showed a cautious stance, saying that there are various challenges to introducing such a system quickly. Meanwhile, Kishida implied that Japan might join in the future a U.S.-led initiative to tighten restrictions on exports of surveillance technology that can be used to abuse human rights. "We haven't announced that we'll join it, but we will consider (the issue) on the basis of future discussions," Kishida said. Also at the Lower House committee meeting, an opposition party lawmaker demanded that the government halt a reclamation project linked to the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma air station in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture, to the Henoko coastal area in the prefecture's Nago. The lawmaker pointed to the possibility that soil for the reclamation project could possibly contain the remains of people who died in the 1945 Battle of Okinawa during World War II. "Work to collect the remains is still taking place in Okinawa, which experienced a tragic ground battle during the war. The issue of the remains is very important," Kishida said. But he did not refer to making any changes to the reclamation project. END