Constitutional reform now taking precedence over Abenomics

HAS Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe taken his eye off the ball in pushing suddenly and unexpectedly (even to some of his Parliamentary colleagues) for prioritising constitutional reform in Japan?

In appearing to do so, he has raised alarm among some that the name of the game now is constitutional reform, and that Abenomics might take a back seat as a result.

The Japanese leader's popularity and that of his Cabinet has dropped sharply of late after his Liberal Democratic Party "went around" Parliament in order to push through a controversial and opaque law against conspiracy in Japan. At the same time, allegations of political favouritism involving Mr Abe have further eroded his public image. It would be understandable, therefore, if (heeding the advice of Otto von Bismarck that "politics is the art of the possible") he has decided that he must push through the constitutional reforms that a…