Why does Prime Minister Shinzo Abe have the opportunity to amend the Japanese Constitution?

If he wins and maintains a majority of more than two-thirds of the seats in the House of Representatives, this will give Mr. Abe the opportunity to change the Japanese Constitution in the way he wants.

On October 22, Japan will hold a snap general election, an event considered a risky move by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

A few months ago, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's approval rating plummeted due to a school land allocation scandal and leaders of several opposition parties questioning his party leadership.

Mr. Abe campaigned in Fukushima on October 17. (Photo: Reuters)

However, with the cabinet reshuffle and North Korea's missile launch over Japanese territory, everything has changed, making Mr. Abe's chances of winning the general election almost certain.

Recent polls show that Prime Minister Abe is likely to win an overwhelming majority in tomorrow's election. In particular, if he continues to win the internal election of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), he will continue to serve as Prime Minister of Japan until 2021.

The Kyodo poll conducted from October 15 to 17 showed that Mr. Abe's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) could win 280 seats out of 465 in the Lower House, and the LDP-Komeito coalition would continue to maintain a two-thirds majority in the Lower House, as before this election.

On the other hand, the poll also showed that support for Yuriko Koike's Party of Hope (PH) has decreased compared to the previous poll. Notably, although it was only established in October by liberal members of the Democratic Party, the Constitutional Democratic Party (CDPJ) is expected to surpass the Party of Hope to become the largest opposition party in Japan.

Commenting on Mr. Abe's chances in the general election, Mr. Hiramatsu, a Japanese political analyst, said: "There are domestic issues that Mr. Abe has not handled well, causing his support rate to decrease. But foreign policies and especially the increasing tension with North Korea are giving Mr. Abe an advantage."

If Abe wins and maintains his two-thirds majority in the lower house, he will have the opportunity to amend the Japanese Constitution in the way he wants, and he will also be able to approve the casinos and continue to raise the consumption tax. This means Japan will continue to maintain the ultra-loose monetary policy that has caused the value of the yen to plummet to boost exports, helping the stock market rise sharply to highs not seen since the global financial crisis in 2008.

The foreign policy goals that Mr. Abe is pursuing, such as continuing to strengthen relations with the United States amid the growing threat from North Korea, will remain in place.

When Prime Minister Abe called a snap election last month, he wanted to test public reaction to a policy of diverting part of the revenue from the consumption tax to reduce education costs for poor households.

Some of his policies are controversial. Among them, his plan to open a Singapore-style casino has attracted many investors, but has been opposed by many politicians.

The Japanese Prime Minister's most controversial policy proposal is his view on changing Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution, which renounces the right to declare war or maintain military forces. Mr. Abe wants to change the interpretation of Article 9 to help Japan ensure the rationality of the existence of the Japan Self-Defense Forces./.

According to VOV