A civic organization, the Civic Federation for Abolition of National Security Legislation and Return of Constitutionalism, issued a statement with deep crisis-ridden consciousness on the recent government’s drives to ‘prepare for wars’ encouraged by Premier Takaichi. The announcement constitutes a message to the Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP).
THE KEY PRINCIPLE – ‘AGAINST’ WAR PREPARATIONS
When a nation’s politics slides to right as a whole, ‘the middle of the Centrist’ goes to ‘right.’ Today, those who used to define it as unconstitutional in the debates on the so-called war legislation have abandoned the stance. That is symbolic.
Reject a loyalty test!
In October 2017, just before the general election of the year, the Minshin-to Party merged into the Kibo-no-to Party, led by Koike Yuriko, and candidates who wanted to be officially endorsed were requested to reject the program of the Minshin-to.
Those against the one-sided order organized the Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP), including a lawmaker Edano Yukio, advocating strenuously constitutionalism and democracy. Thus, the CDP won 55 seats in the Lower House, being the biggest opposition party.
A year before that year the election for the Upper House had been held and the CDR (then the Minshin-to) had worked as a core to link the opposition political parties with civic organizations; they were successful in gaining a seat in the one-candidate constituencies for the Upper House as well as small constituencies for the Lower House.
For these years, however, the CDP has transformed itself in terms of the national security legislation; they claimed, firstly, to ‘delete part to be considered as unconstitutional’, and then in October last year the lawmaker Edano, the party’s top adviser, insisted that ‘no unconstitutional part is found in the legislation.’ Responding to the change, debates began inside the CDP on diplomacy and national security issues.
The CDP specifies in their election pledge that the national security legislation is unconstitutional, but does not point out specific clauses. Though that is criticized by the Komei-to as irresponsible, it was a step forward for the CDP to be closer to the ally. Such a merger is a maneuver to secure the majority in the elections, throwing the basic rules away. This is a typical trick employed by political elites.
Civic organizations have loudly and repeatedly demanded to scrap bills when vital ones were debated up to today amid the on-going process of disintegration of the constitutional scheme. But the CDP occasionally allied with the government parties, disappointing citizens extremely. Criticisms have been mounted.
Future should be made reliable
The civic group’s urgent statement explains that due to Premier’s proclamation of ‘existential crisis’ over Taiwan, external threats have been highlighted and war preparation efforts have been made in the unleashed way. It emphasizes that a starting point of joint struggle lies in ‘observing the principles of Peace Constitution’ and that people appreciate unyielding opposition to the war preparation committed in by the government.
It continues to say that ‘the credos of people can never be annulled in political justification to win the state’s power and majority,’ and that ‘the government must sincerely grasp needs of people - citizens and stakeholders of daily life - and create “a reliable future”, covering the coming generations of people’. The statement stresses that it is the sole path to “change of government.”
‘In the great historic stage in which the world is navigated to wars and violence, all the opposite parties and people here advocating the Constitution should make a wise choice of judgment that will live up to the task of people’s history.
安保法制の廃止と立憲主義の回復を求める市民連合（市民連合）が、高市政権の歯止めなき「戦争準備」に強い危機感を持って緊急声明を出した。ポイントは立憲民主党へのメッセージだ。
政治が右傾化すれば、立憲民主党が主張する「『中道』ど真ん中」は「右」に寄る。その象徴が「戦争法制」の違憲論放棄だ。
「踏み絵」拒否して
総選挙直前の17年10月、民進党が小池百合子氏率いる希望の党に合流し、公認の条件に、民進党の政策を放棄する改憲支持や戦争法制（安保法制）に賛成する「踏み絵」を踏まされた。
これを拒否した枝野幸男氏らが、立憲主義や民主主義を標榜して立憲民主党を立ち上げ、55議席を獲得、野党第１党に躍進した。
その前年の参院選（当時民進党）から立憲民主党は市民と野党の共闘の軸となり、参院１人区や衆院小選挙区で議席を獲得してきた。しかし近年、安保法制について「違憲部分の廃止」と主張を変え、昨年10月には枝野最高顧問が「違憲部分はない」と主張。それを受けて、外交・安保政策の党内議論が始まった。
平和安全法制は違憲と公約に明記しても、違憲部分を具体的に示さず、無責任と主張する公明党にすり寄った形だ。
これでは基本政策を投げうつ多数派工作、永田町の論理そのものではないのか。 これまでも憲法空洞化の重要法案審議で、市民連合などが廃案を叫んだ。しかし、そうした法案に立憲民主が賛成に回ることがあり、市民は不満を表明、批判が噴出していた。
信じられる未来を
市民連合の緊急声明は、高市早苗首相の台湾「存立危機事態」発言によって対外脅威論が高まり、ますます歯止めのない戦争準備が進む情勢に触れ、共闘の原点は「平和憲法の原則遵守、そして『安保法制』にはじまる政府による戦争準備への反対という大原則」と指摘する。
その上で、「政権奪取や多数派形成という政治の大事を理由に、このもっとも大切な原則を忘れることがあってはならない」。さらに、「国民、市民、生活者の真のニーズをしっかりと読み取り、次世代を見据えた新たな『信じられる未来』を創造する道筋でしか、真の『政権交代』は実現しない」と訴える。
「世界が戦争や暴力へと向かう大きな歴史的文脈の中で、すべての立憲野党関係者がのちの歴史に恥じることのない、賢明な判断を選択」しなければならぬ。
英訳版↓
No. 1435 Civic Federation’s Urgent Statement
A civic organization, the Civic Federation for Abolition of National Security Legislation and Return of Constitutionalism, issued a statement with deep crisis-ridden consciousness on the recent government’s drives to ‘prepare for wars’ encouraged by Premier Takaichi. The announcement constitutes a message to the Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP).
THE KEY PRINCIPLE – ‘AGAINST’ WAR PREPARATIONS
When a nation’s politics slides to right as a whole, ‘the middle of the Centrist’ goes to ‘right.’ Today, those who used to define it as unconstitutional in the debates on the so-called war legislation have abandoned the stance. That is symbolic.
Reject a loyalty test!
In October 2017, just before the general election of the year, the Minshin-to Party merged into the Kibo-no-to Party, led by Koike Yuriko, and candidates who wanted to be officially endorsed were requested to reject the program of the Minshin-to.
Those against the one-sided order organized the Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP), including a lawmaker Edano Yukio, advocating strenuously constitutionalism and democracy. Thus, the CDP won 55 seats in the Lower House, being the biggest opposition party.
A year before that year the election for the Upper House had been held and the CDR (then the Minshin-to) had worked as a core to link the opposition political parties with civic organizations; they were successful in gaining a seat in the one-candidate constituencies for the Upper House as well as small constituencies for the Lower House.
For these years, however, the CDP has transformed itself in terms of the national security legislation; they claimed, firstly, to ‘delete part to be considered as unconstitutional’, and then in October last year the lawmaker Edano, the party’s top adviser, insisted that ‘no unconstitutional part is found in the legislation.’ Responding to the change, debates began inside the CDP on diplomacy and national security issues.
The CDP specifies in their election pledge that the national security legislation is unconstitutional, but does not point out specific clauses. Though that is criticized by the Komei-to as irresponsible, it was a step forward for the CDP to be closer to the ally. Such a merger is a maneuver to secure the majority in the elections, throwing the basic rules away. This is a typical trick employed by political elites.
Civic organizations have loudly and repeatedly demanded to scrap bills when vital ones were debated up to today amid the on-going process of disintegration of the constitutional scheme. But the CDP occasionally allied with the government parties, disappointing citizens extremely. Criticisms have been mounted.
Future should be made reliable
The civic group’s urgent statement explains that due to Premier’s proclamation of ‘existential crisis’ over Taiwan, external threats have been highlighted and war preparation efforts have been made in the unleashed way. It emphasizes that a starting point of joint struggle lies in ‘observing the principles of Peace Constitution’ and that people appreciate unyielding opposition to the war preparation committed in by the government.
It continues to say that ‘the credos of people can never be annulled in political justification to win the state’s power and majority,’ and that ‘the government must sincerely grasp needs of people - citizens and stakeholders of daily life - and create “a reliable future”, covering the coming generations of people’. The statement stresses that it is the sole path to “change of government.”
‘In the great historic stage in which the world is navigated to wars and violence, all the opposite parties and people here advocating the Constitution should make a wise choice of judgment that will live up to the task of people’s history.
January 21, 2026