The constitution of Japan can be amended to allow the country to have its own armed forces. With such a statement, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Changes can be brought into effect in three years.

"I want to make 2020 a date for the entry into force of the new constitution," the head of government said in an interview with the newspaper "Iomiuri". He noted the importance of this year for the Land of the Rising Sun, including in connection with the holding of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo.

At the moment, Article 9 of the Constitution establishes the peaceful nature of the Japanese state. "The Japanese people for all time renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation, as well as from the threat or use of armed force as a means of resolving international disputes. The right to conduct war by the state is not recognized, "the Basic Law says.. The country also refuses to create land, sea and air forces.

According to Abe, Japan should maintain a peaceful status, but at the same time it is necessary to consolidate the status of the self-defense forces in the constitution, which in fact play the role of the army. "The self-defense forces are fully fulfilling their duty, and now more than 90% of the population enjoy the confidence. At the same time, many constitutional lawyers say that (self-defense forces) constitute a violation of the constitution, "the premier said..

Thinking about the "legalization" of the armed forces of the Japanese forces the tense situation around North Korea. Kim Jong-un's regime continues to develop nuclear weapons and conducts ballistic missile tests that can hit targets in Japan. The willingness of the US authorities to strike at the DPRK can provoke this country to retaliate against Japan, which is the closest ally of the United States in the region.

Abe stressed that if the very existence of the self-defense forces is considered to be a violation of the constitution, then, in the face of the complication of the international situation, this puts the life of Japanese subjects under attack. To keep this state of affairs "too irresponsible".

"Peace Constitution" was adopted 70 years ago, after the end of World War II. The ban on the existence of its own armed forces was dictated by the requirements of the United States. In Japan it has long been said that the basic law needs modernization, so that the country has greater independence in the matter of national defense.

An important step in this direction was the package of laws passed by the government of Shinzo Abe in 2016. , Which enshrines Japan's right to "collective self-defense," which allows the participation of the Japanese military in operations abroad.

Earlier this year, amid the worsening situation on the Korean Peninsula, Japan's Defense Minister Tomomi Inada said that the country's self-defense forces could strike at enemy bases. According to her, the government will use any means of protecting the interests of the country and its citizens from an external threat within the framework of international law and the constitution. These blows will not be preventive: the question of giving the forces of self-defense the possibility of striking at enemy bases before the missile launch is carried out is not considered.