Op-ed: In Japan, party most opposed to constitutional reform given the reins

Two-thirds of Upper House members support constitutional reform, so why did the ruling parties hand the committee chair for the issue to the anti-reform CDP? This is a new blow to the prospects for constitutional reform. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has surrendered the chairmanship of the Commission on the Constitution in the Upper House to the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party. As a result, the chairpersons of the Commission on the Constitution in both the Lower House and the Upper House are now members of the CDP, a party that has been consistently reluctant to reform the postwar Constitution of Japan. [ . . . ] Nevertheless, momentum for constitutional reform has been clearly building. In the Upper House, discussions on the subject also seemed to be making headway. Therefore, it is incomprehensible that the chairmanship of the Commission on the Constitution has been handed over to the CDP, which is so obviously reluctant to amend the Constitution. 
Read the full article here: Japan Forward