Japan's coalition opens talks on constitutional status of armed forces

Japan's ruling coalition parties have agreed to begin consultations on revising Article 9 of the constitution, which renounces war and the establishment of armed forces.

Report informs, citing Kyodo, that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi aims to secure agreement on a joint parliamentary proposal before February 2027.

Takaichi's Liberal Democratic Party proposes broadly retaining the current wording of Article 9 while adding a provision formally recognising the legal status of Japan's Self-Defense Forces.

The coalition's junior partner, the Japan Innovation Party, favours removing the article's second paragraph, which prohibits the maintenance of land, sea and air forces, as well as other war potential.

Instead, the party proposes enshrining the country's right to maintain a national defence force in the constitution.

The first paragraph of Article 9 renounces war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force to settle international disputes. The second states that the country will not maintain armed forces or other war potential and does not recognise the state's right of belligerency.

Despite these restrictions, Japan maintains Self-Defense Forces comprising ground, maritime and air units. They are equipped with modern warships, fifth-generation fighter jets and missile systems.

Japan is also upgrading two large ships to accommodate fighter jets capable of short take-off and vertical landing, while its ground units are receiving mobile missile systems with a range of up to 1,000 kilometres.