The ruling Liberal Democratic Party's constitution drafting committee completed its second draft of a new constitution Wednesday, adding five new individual rights.
The panel left out the contentious preamble and war-renouncing Article 9, agreeing to entrust the wording of those sections to former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori, the committee's chairman, members of the panel said.
The preamble subcommittee had proposed asserting Japan's right to self-defense in the charter's introduction. And an outline of the preamble obtained earlier called for fostering patriotism and ensuring the defense of the nation.
The five individual rights the LDP is proposing be added are the people's right to government information, to intellectual property, to a good environment, to personal information protection and for disabled people and crime victims to be treated with dignity, the members said.
A subcommittee discussing human rights and obligations previously had proposed some limitations on freedom of expression.
But the second draft, which builds on the first version released in August, does not change the phrasing in Article 21 of the current Constitution, which says, "Freedom of assembly and association as well as speech, press and all other forms of expression are guaranteed," party sources said.