Abe's 'normal country' will not be normal

In 1993, Japanese politician Ichiro Ozawa first said that transforming Japan into a "normal country" was the way to make it a "real member" of the international community again. The central point of Ozawa's argument for transforming Japan into a "normal country" was to make sure it was treated as equal by other countries, its national power was acknowledged, and the international community saw its pursuit of security and development as normal.

Since then, Japan's domestic and foreign policies have been, more or less, focused on the "normal country" disposition. But is Japan closer to its objective under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's leadership?

Japan's pacifist Constitution stipulates the country cannot have a war-oriented military or declare war on another country. And the Charter of United Nations says relevant countries and organizations can take necessary actions, without the UN Security Council's authorization, to prevent or stop a war by any of the countries that started World War II. Together, the two statutes make Japan different from other countries.