改憲「私の手で成し遂げる」　時来れば解散断行―「桜」全般的に見直し・首相会見

　安倍晋三首相は９日、臨時国会閉幕を受けて首相官邸で記者会見し、憲法改正について「決してたやすい道ではないが、必ずや私の手で成し遂げたい」と述べ、２０２１年９月までの自民党総裁任期中の実現に強い意欲を示した。また、衆院解散・総選挙に関し、「国民の信を問うべきときが来たと考えれば、断行することにちゅうちょはない」と表明。首相主催「桜を見る会」については全般的な見直しを進めると改めて説明した。
　首相は臨時国会で国民投票法改正案の審議が進まなかったことを「誠に残念だ」と振り返りつつ、改憲について「国民的関心は高まりつつある」との認識を表明。その上で「来る通常国会の憲法審査会の場で憲法改正原案の策定を加速させていきたい」と述べ、来年１月召集の通常国会で発議に向けた与野党の調整に入りたい考えを示した。
　首相は「国のかたちに関わる大改革に挑戦し、新たな国造りを力強く進める。その先に憲法改正がある」とも強調した。（2019/12/09-20:59）

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expressed strong eagerness on Monday to revise the country's Constitution by the time his term of office as president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party runs out in September 2021.
   "Although it's not an easy road, I definitely want to achieve" constitutional amendments, Abe told a news conference after the end of an extraordinary session of the Diet, the country's parliament, on the day.
   Abe also said that he "won't hesitate" to dissolve the House of Representatives, the all-important lower chamber of the Diet, for a snap election if he thinks "the time has come to seek a public mandate."
   Constitutional amendments "are increasingly attracting the public attention," the prime minister said, while voicing "extreme regret" over the Diet's failure to hold full-fledged deliberations during the just-ended extraordinary session on a national referendum law amendment aimed at improving voter convenience in a potential referendum on revision to the supreme law.
   "I'd like to accelerate work to draw up a draft of a revised Constitution" at related commissions at both Diet chambers during next year's ordinary parliamentary session starting next month, he said.