A Liberal Democratic Party panel drafting a new Constitution wants to include five new rights, including on the environment and on information, in the final version to be unveiled in November, LDP lawmakers said.
The panel wants the new national charter to spell out that the people have the right to live in a favorable environment and to have access to information on activities of the central and local governments, the lawmakers said.
The other three new rights would be the right to protect personal information, an intellectual property right and one concerning the physically and mentally disabled and crime victims.
Some panel members, however, have argued that the new right of the physically and mentally disabled should be dealt with under Article 14 of the Constitution, so further arrangements on the issue will have to be made.
The article currently stipulates all people are equal under the law and there shall be no political, economic or social discrimination due to race, creed, sex, social status or family origin.
The final draft of the new Constitution will be made public in November when the LDP holds a ceremony to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the party's establishment.
In the first draft, unveiled in August, the five new rights were not clearly spelled out and the panel said further discussions would be necessary on whether to include them in the new Constitution.
The panel's decision came after its subcommittee on people's rights and duties agreed in principle Monday to include the new rights.
The panel, meanwhile, decided not to include citizens' obligation to defend the country in the new charter because of objections among the public, the lawmakers said.
The panel is headed by former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori.