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 TOKYO (AP) - Japan must overhaul its pacifist constitution, increase its international security role and free itself of World War II's political remnants, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told Parliament in a major policy speech Friday. Setting out his administration's objectives for the coming year, Abe highlighted rewriting the constitution, bolstering Japan's security alliance with the United States and implementing classroom reforms that will instill a sense of patriotism in the nation's youth.
"Now is the time for us to boldly revise this postwar regime and make a new start," he told Parliament, which opened Thursday for a five-month session.
"It is our mission to create a beautiful Japan that will be able to withstand the challenges of the next 50 or 100 years," he said.
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