Roundup: Abe eyes continued LDP majority rule in upper house elections, reaffirms economic goals

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Monday he is not planning to dissolve the lower house of parliament and call a snap election ahead of the triennial upper house elections this summer.

Speaking at a press conference as the Diet kicks off an ordinary session Monday, earlier in the year than usual, the leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party of Japan (LDP), while stating that he"is not considering at all"dissolving the lower house to call a snap election, said that maintaining his ruling bloc's majority in the upcoming upper house elections would be a priority.

"To advance politics in a stable way under the coalition government of the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito, I would like the LDP and Komeito to secure a majority in the House of Councillors," the prime minister said. "I will do the utmost to win that victory," Abe said at the New Year press conference.

On matters of Constitutional reform, the prime minister said that efforts in this regard will be stepped up and be one of the focal points of the upcoming election. "Through such calls, I would like to deepen national debate about the issue," said Abe.

Sources close to the matter said Monday that Abe is a proponent of the"emergency provision"in Japan's Constitution, that would allow for Diet members' terms to be extended and grant more authority for the prime minister to deal with security issues, such as the response to an attack by a foreign power, or a major disaster, natural or otherwise.

Article 96 of the Constitution stipulates that the nation's Supreme Law can be considered for revision if at least two-thirds from each chamber of parliament approve the motion and the majority do so in a referendum.

In the more powerful lower house of parliament, Abe's ruling coalition have a two-thirds majority and hold a majority in the smaller upper caucus.

Abe, who has entered his fourth year as prime minister, also said that following Japan, China and South Korea holding a sixth trilateral summit in November, marking the first time the three countries had done so since 2012 owing to regional tensions, he is hoping for the nations' foreign ministers to hold talks this year, ahead of a leaders' summit also slated for this year to be held in Japan.

Hailing last year's summit and the resumption of the three-way talks between East Asia's three powerhouses, Abe said the often tense relations Japan has had with its closest neighbors are now"normalizing"and that he is hoping for continued progress in this direction and is looking forward to the next"fruitful" trilateral summit.

Forging a peace treaty with Russia will also be a focal point this year, Abe maintained, as the two countries have failed to do so since the end of WWII owing to a territorial dispute. The Japanese leader said that both himself and Russian President Vladimir Putin held the view that a peace treaty needed to be reached.

"We both recognize that 70 years after the war's end, to not have concluded a peace treaty is abnormal,"Abe said.

"But without a summit meeting this Northern Territories problem cannot be resolved."

Japan's foreign ministry has been discussing plans for Putin to visit Japan in a visit that was shelved due to Japan slapping sanctions on Russia following its interventions in Ukraine.

"We will continue to explore the most appropriate time"for Putin to visit Japan, Abe said.

The four disputed islands known as the Northern Territories by Japan and the the Southern Kurils by Russia were seized by the Soviet Union in 1945. Recent dialogue between Tokyo and Moscow suggests the row may be ended by the countries deciding to share or split control of Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan and the Habomai islet group, and jointly working on economic projects on and around them.

Abe went on to say that Russia's role in fighting terrorism remains crucial and also highlighted the mounting crisis between Iran and Syria.

As for Japan hosting the Group of Seven summit in May in Mie Prefecture, central Japan, the prime minister said the forum would be key to tackling issues of global economic concern, as well as issues pertaining to terrorism, world poverty and regional issues.

"The G-7 is the champion of universal values such as freedom, democracy, the rule of law and human rights," said Abe.

"As its president, I would like to lead the world by looking to the future and showing the most appropriate paths for peace and prosperity of the region and the world."

The leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States will convene for the Ise-Shima summit here from May 26 to 27.

On economic issues, the prime minister also reaffirmed his commitment to fiscal reform policies, stating that he remained driven to achieving his 600 trillion yen (5 trillion U.S. dollars) GDP target by around 2020, as well as raising the birthrate to 1.8 children per woman in a bid to boost the population and tackle the shrinking birthrate.

He added he hopes for the early passage of a supplementary budget for the fiscal year, with the budget totaling 3.3 trillion yen (27.60 billion U.S. dollars) to help kickstart his fiscal policies.

On Dec. 25, Abe's Cabinet approved a record budget for fiscal 2016 which will rely on robust corporate profits and interest payments to tackle the nation's burgeoning welfare costs and mounting public debt.

The year beginning April 2016 will see a record-high 96.72 trillion yen (799 billion U.S. dollars) earmarked for government spending, with allocations made specifically to tackle the nation's demographic crisis, as society here is rapidly aging but the population also shrinking, as well as allocations to boost regional economies and defense spending.

The draft budget was submitted to the Diet session Monday and is slated to be enacted by the end of March. It includes a 5.05 trillion yen (41.90 billion U.S. dollars) military budget for fiscal 2016, with the amount allocated rising 1.5 percent from levels in 2015 and totaling the most since record keeping began.

It marks the fourth consecutive year under Abe that spending on defense has increased.

Abe said that the Bank of Japan and government's bid to combat deflation since the introduction of his "Abenomics"policies in 2012 have been positive and that deflation has been effectively tackled.

"We have put the utmost priority on the economy for these three years. We are still half way but we have created a situation that is no longer seen as deflation," Abe told the news conference, although later back-pedaled stating that deflation hadn't been completely conquered. Endit