争取2020年完成修宪

Shinzo Abe has for the first time laid out a clear timetable for revision of Japan’s pacifist constitution, scheduling the landmark change — his most cherished ambition — for the Tokyo Olympic year of 2020.

安倍晋三(Shinzo Abe)首次为修订日本和平宪法提出了明确的时间表，把这项具有里程碑意义的改变——他最看重的雄心——安排在举行东京奥运会的2020年。

In a signal of the prime minister’s resolve on an issue that splits Japan, his comments emerged yesterday on Constitution Memorial Day, the national holiday marking the promulgation of a document that has shaped Japan’s domestic and international politics since 1947.

有一个信号突显了日本首相在这个导致国内分歧的问题上的决心，他在昨日宪法纪念日宣布修宪时间表；这个节日是为了纪念1947年5月3日施行、自那以来决定着日本国内和国际政治的和平宪法。

“I want to make 2020 the year that a new constitution comes into effect,” Mr Abe told a private symposium in a video message, the contents of which were reported by Japanese media. “We have reached a point where we have to start discussions in more concrete terms in order to present the public with a proposal for revision to the constitution.”

“我希望2020年成为新宪法施行的一年，”安倍在视频讲话中告诉一个私人研讨会；日本媒体报道了讲话内容。“我们已经到了必须展开更加具体的讨论的时候，以便向公众呈现修宪提案。”

Earlier in the week, when he pointed to the gravity of escalating tensions over North Korea, Mr Abe told a cross-party group of parliamentarians that only a small minority of the public “think of the constitution as an immortal tome”.

本周早些时候，在指出围绕朝鲜的紧张局势升级的严重性的时候，安倍对一个跨党派议员团体表示，只有一小部分公众“把宪法视为不朽的卷册”。

In an interview with the Yomiuri newspaper published yesterday, Mr Abe described the 2017 anniversary of the constitution, a document written while Japan was still under US occupation, as a “ripe opportunity” for revision.

在昨日发表的《读卖新闻》(Yomiuri)专访中，安倍形容2017年的宪法纪念日是一个推进修宪的“成熟机遇”。现行宪法是日本在美国占领时期制定的宪制文件。

Since Mr Abe came to power in December 2012, investors in Japan have been wary of his enthusiasm for constitutional reform. Despite some encouraging signals, there are fears the Abenomics project of economic revival will remain unfinished if he devotes his remaining years in office to securing the support for changing the constitution.

自安倍晋三在2012年12月上台以来，日本投资者对他的宪法改革热情一直抱有戒心。尽管有一些令人鼓舞的信号，但人们担心，如果他在剩余的任期全力投入为修宪争取支持，以重振经济为目标的安倍经济学(Abenomics)项目将会不了了之。

Constitutional revision requires a two-thirds majority in both houses of parliament as well as a majority of public support in a national referendum.

修订宪法需要在日本国会两院分别赢得三分之二多数支持，并在全民公投中赢得多数公众的支持。

The amendment, which would mark the first change to the constitution in 70 years, will focus on Article 9, the so-called peace clause in which Japan renounces the threat or use of force in settling international disputes and vows that land, sea and air forces “will never be maintained”.

70年来第一次修宪的焦点将放在第9条，即所谓的和平条款，即日本放弃威胁或使用武力来解决国际争端，并誓言“不保持”陆海空军及其他战争力量。

Successive interpretations of the clause over the years have provided political cover for Japan to build its Self-Defence Forces into what some analysts rank as one of the world’s 10 best-equipped and funded militaries.

多年来对这一条进行的多次解释，为日本发展其自卫队(Self-Defence Forces)提供了政治依据。一些分析人士认为，目前自卫队是世界上前十大装备精良、经费充足的军事力量之一。

While the precise language of any proposed amendment has yet to be made public, a draft was produced in 2012 when Mr Abe was still in opposition, and he has since repeated his intention to add a clause giving the SDF the official right to exist. “In our generation we need to establish the constitutional standing of the Self-Defence Forces so that there is no room for debate,” he told the symposium.

虽然拟议中的修宪提案的准确措辞尚未公布，但有一份草案在2012年安倍所在政党仍是反对党的时候就已出炉，此后他重申有意在宪法中增补一条，赋予自卫队正式存在权利。“我希望至少在我们这一代在宪法中就自卫队的存在作出明确的定位，不给‘自卫队的存在可能属于违宪行为’之类的辩论留下余地，”他对上述研讨会表示。

Despite Mr Abe’s solid levels of public support, his desire to revise the constitution is hugely divisive. The most recent polls on the issue, conducted by Nikkei, showed 46 per cent against change versus 45 per cent in favour.

尽管安倍得到公众的强劲支持，但是他的修宪愿望导致极大的意见分歧。日经(Nikkei)在这个问题上进行的最新民调显示，46%反对修宪，45%赞成修宪。

Two years ago, when Mr Abe pushed through a law that would allow Japanese troops to fight overseas for the first time since the second world war, the issue sparked mass protests.

两年前，安倍推动通过一部法律，自二战以来首次允许自卫队在海外投入作战，此举引发了大规模抗议。