Japan’s Kishida Risks Political Fight With Vow to Take Up Abe’s Legacy

Three days after Shinzo Abe’s murder, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida vowed to honor his legacy by taking up a cause that had eluded the late former premier: Revising the country’s pacifist constitution. Minutes later, Kishida was explaining how hard that might be.

Successive leaders, including Abe, have failed to overcome the legal and political hurdles required to amend the founding document and legitimize the existence of Japan’s military. Any change to the document, which was drafted by the US during its postwar occupation, is likely years away, even though Kishida’s coalition won enough seats Sunday to start the process.