‘Japan has now entered the path of a country that is able to wage war’

South Korea’s major dailies on Monday carried articles on their front pages on Japan’s House of Councillors election held on Sunday, with headlines focusing on the path being cleared for constitutional reform by the ruling coalition.

The Liberal Democratic Party of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe took 55 of the 121 contested seats, while its junior coalition partner Komeito gained 14 seats.

TheKyunghyang Shinmun’s article was headlined “Abe gained 162 seats needed to push for constitutional reform”.

“Japan has now entered the path of a country that is able to wage war after discarding its pacifist Constitution it has retained for nearly 70 years after the war,” the daily said in a dispatch from Tokyo.

The election results “are likely to bring about new tense relations in the international community as voices wary of Japan’s tilting toward military power grow louder,” it added.

TheDong-A Ilbosaid, “Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s rightist policies, including the constitutional revision, are now given wings to fly”.

Japan’s Abe targets big election win to pursue big reforms

TheHankyoreh’s article was titled “Abe’s landslide victory, Japan’s is now at the threshold of constitutional reform.”

“If Prime Minister Abe tries to seek a constitutional amendment, a fierce controversy is likely to arise, affecting directly the order in Northeast Asia, including the Korean Peninsula, where the US and China are tensely faced against each other,” theHankyorehsaid.

Another major daily, theChosun Ilbo, included in its front page an article titled “Japan’s ability to go war virtually secured needed seats for constitutional reform”.

Abe on Sunday indicated his eagerness to accelerate parliamentary discussions toward revising Japan’s Constitution, building on the gains of the ruling coalition and other pro-amendment forces in the upper house election.