Liberal Democratic Party can so easily decide on its own."
The Constitution renounces war and bars the country from using military force in international disputes.
But the government put forth an interpretation in 1992 -- when Miyazawa was prime minister -- that allowed the Self-Defense Forces to have noncombat roles in international peacekeeping operations.
Any constitutional change must be approved by a two-thirds majority in both houses of the Diet and a majority of the population in a national referendum. No timetable has been set to present the draft to the Diet.
Miyazawa also said Japan urgently needs to improve relations with China and South Korea, which have sunk to their lowest in decades amid a series of territorial disputes and disagreements over interpretations of wartime history.
"If Yasukuni Shrine is the problem, it needs to be addressed," Miyazawa said, referring to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visits to the shrine closely associated with Japan's past militarism, which has provoked strong protests from Beijing and Seoul.
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