Japan’s Constitution Amendment And Its Possible Influence On World Order
- Category Law
- Subcategory Laws & Regulations
- Topic Constitution
- Words 1026
- Pages 2
1. Introduction
Japan used to be very prone to have fights and wars in the past during the World War Era. But after the USA dropped two atomic bombs in Nagasaki and Hiroshima, Japan learned its lesson: never to fight in the war. As a result of this lesson, Japan made a constitution for the hope of peace. However, Shinzo Abe, Japan’s prime minister, has been trying to amend Japan’s constitution to make it possible for the country to engage in war. Although most people in Japan are against the amendment proposal, is the amendment actually going to happen in the future, and if so, how would this amendment influence the world order?
2. Background of Research
Today, Japan is recognized as one of the safest and the most peaceful countries in the world that never goes to war. However, during the World War Era, Japan was not a country as it is now; it was an empire that was keen to expand its own territory essentially in Asia and was prone to have wars overseas for the sake of its purpose to obtain a larger territory. Japanese Empire was seeking an “acquisition of a colonial empire” which was “a mark of national eminence, the ultimate status symbol upon the world scene” in the late nineteenth century (Myers and Peattie 10). Japan colonized North China, Korea, and some parts in Asia, and those countries did not appreciate Japan’s colonization. Even until now, there have been various inter-nation frictions and tension between Japan and its neighbors such as China and South Korea that were caused by the World War Era’s Japanese Empire. In 2018, New York Times reported about the issues of sex slaves in South Korea called Iampu [comfort women] that Japan provoked during the World War Era saying “on matters of history, Japan and South Korea can never seem to agree to disagree… The issue of the sex slaves remains the deepest longstanding wound between the two countries (Rich).” As seen here, Japan used to act as a war-prone country back then left and caused issues and problems internationally which is not what present Japan is like. During World War Ⅱ, the USA dropped the atomic bombs in two cities of Japan, Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, and Nagasaki on August 9, 1945, for the first time in world history. After the tragedies, “Japan got a new constitution, which took effect on May 3, 1947,” with a “determination about Japan’s military future,” and the constitution “was meant to keep peace” in the country and the world (Waxman). Despite the fact that the Constitution of Japan was made based on pacifism and that a number of the Japanese population are “ambivalent about any revision (Liff and Maeda),” Japan’s prime minister Shinzo Abe “has long held a dream — to redraw Japan’s pacifist constitution,” and to revise the constitution to make it possible (legal) that Japan uses its military force against other countries (Taylor).
3. The Constitution of Japan
How it was created:
Three basic principles of the constitution: the sovereignty of the people, fundamental human rights, and pacifism.
Pacifism is an important principle.
To seek peace, Japan basically does not have an army but has Self-Defense Force.
Based on the pacifism principle, Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution says
“Aspiring sincerely to an international peace based on justice and order, the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes.
In order to accomplish the aim of the preceding paragraph, land, sea, and air forces, as well as another war potential, will never be maintained. The right of belligerency of the state will not be recognized.”
In short, it claims that Japan does not have armed force forever.
4. Proposal for Constitution Amendment
Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe stated “Japan is aiming to amend the constitution by 2020… leaving Paragraphs 1 and 2 of Article 9,” and he “will put an additional statement on the self-defense force.”
For a long time, some scholars and Japanese citizens have been criticizing that the self-defense force in an actual army.
With the additional statement, Abe is trying to make the self-defense force completely a legal entity without a doubt or misunderstanding.
Two main reasons for the attempt of the amendment are; not to engage in war by having a strong force, and because Japan sees threats of North Korea and other countries.
5. Reaction to the Proposal — in Japan
A majority of Japanese people say no to the amendment proposal because they are afraid of wars that Japan could cause.
Also, Japanese people think badly about the USA protecting Japan by placing its army in Japanese territory because there have been countless crimes that American soldiers who stay in American military bases committed in Japan.
6. Reaction to the Proposal — in Other Countries
Meanwhile, in other countries in the world, a large population of people say yes to the proposal. Some say “it is necessary to protect the country under other countries’ threats.” And some say “Japan should not rely only on the USA for Japan’s national security.”
However, there is also a decent number of people who say no to the proposal. Some of their opinions are “Japan should keep the peace constitution. They should not go back to the horrible Japanese Empire Era,” and “Japan had better enforce its economic power and the alliance with the USA instead of enforcing its army.”
7. Consideration: Probability of Amendment
Although a large population of Japanese people are strongly against it — they have horrible experiences of tragedies in the past, and they have pride of the constitution based on the peaceful purpose — the amendment is very probable to happen.
Because Shinzo Abe’s decision is firm and tries to secure the country.
And Japan is under threat of other countries such as China and North Korea.
8. Consideration: Possible Influence on World Order
Japanese army would play a role as a deterrent against threats of North Korea China.
Japan would be a more powerful state in the world order with a bigger and stronger organized military force.
Japan would catch more attention from other countries in terms of military, causing a higher possibility of international conflicts between Japan and other countries.