For Japan 2020 vision really is hindsight

But Abe's plans to further fiddle with the constitution are meeting opposition from within his own ranks. Retired lawmaker and former LDP secretary-general Makoto Koga said at a public lecture recently: "Changing a constitutional interpretation through a cabinet decision is a patchwork measure... One mistake and we could be involved in a war."

Emperor Akihito and Crown Prince Naruhito have indicated that they were against changing the constitution.

The Japan Times stated in an editorial last year that :

It cannot be emphasized too much that the LDP is trying to impose a constitution that runs counter to the principle of modern constitutional politics as well as postwar Japan's no-war principle.

In September 2007, Abe wrote in a magazine article that "From now on, I want to sacrifice myself as one lawmaker to make true conservatism take root in Japan."

Abe, from a wealthy political family, was exposed early to the ultra-conservative viewpoint at the knees of his grandfather, Nobusuke Kishi, a former prime minister.

Kishi was imprisoned for his wartime role, including atrocities committed in China, but never tried as a war criminal after World War II. He was premier from 1957 to 1960, but, in an ironic twist had to resign without achieving his goal of revising the constitution. You could say it runs in the family.

Abe has also pushed through a draconian "secrets law" that allows the government to decide what can be classified as secret. Critics say it is a charter against uncovering abuse of power and will strengthen government influence over the media

Sirens of alarm are ringing. How they are heeded will determine whether the 2020 Olympics will see Japan delving into the past or embracing the future.