岸田首相、自衛隊明記も優先　改憲国民投票、緊急事態と合わせ

　岸田文雄首相（自民党総裁）は７日、党本部で開かれた憲法改正実現本部の全体会合に出席し、憲法改正に関し、自衛隊明記にも優先して取り組む方針を明らかにした。「憲政史上初の国民投票にかけるとしたならば、緊急事態条項と合わせて自衛隊明記も含めて国民の判断をいただくことが重要だ」と訴えた。
　会合では、議員任期特例の条文化と、自衛隊明記などに関する論点整理を行うための二つの作業部会を新設することを決めた。自衛隊明記などについて、首相は「８月末を目指して議論を加速してほしい」と訴えた。（2024/08/07-12:53）

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida indicated Wednesday that clarifying the existence of the Self-Defense Forces in the Constitution should be a priority item as well in an envisioned national referendum on amending the top law.
   "If a national referendum is held (on revising the supreme law) for the first time ever in the country's constitutional politics, it is important to ask the public whether the SDF should be clarified in the Constitution, in addition to whether an emergency clause should be added," Kishida told a plenary meeting of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's Headquarters for the Realization of Revision of the Constitution.
   At the meeting, members of the task force decided to launch two working groups--one for drafting a clause on a special measure on lawmakers' terms of office and the other for sorting out issues regarding the clarification of the SDF in the Constitution.
   Kishida, also president of the LDP, voiced hope that discussions will be accelerated so that certain results will be produced by the end of this month.
   The task force also approved a document on measures to maintain the functions of the Diet, Japan's parliament, in times of emergencies such as large-scale disasters, which was compiled by a related working team. The document calls for an emergency meeting of the House of Councillors, upper chamber of the Diet, to be positioned as the only contingency clause under the current Constitution.