Japanese ConstitutionEssay Preview: Japanese ConstitutionReport this essayQuestion; What is the significance of Article 9 in the Japanese Constitution? What are the implications of the moves to change it?IntroductionIt is said that Article 9 of JapanЃfs Constitution has been one of the controversial issue in Japanese post war politics. The so-called Ѓgpeace clauseЃh is also known as most controversial clause, which consists of two paragraphs. The first paragraph declares renunciation of war and the second declares renunciation of military forces and other war potential.
However, Japan has military forces called the Self Defence Forces. To avoid the appearance of militaristic revival, the each department of the forces were named the Ground Self Defence Force, the Maritime Self-Defence Force, and the Air Self-Defence Force, instead of the army, navy, and air force. However, although they do not have long range missiles or nuclear weapons to attack other countries, instead, they are very well equipped and are still one of the most powerful military forces in the world. Therefore, they are virtually no different from other military forces in the world. Certainly possession of these military forces contradicts Article 9 in the constitution. Besides, the Forces were established in 1954, only few years after the Japanese constitution came into force. Consequently, the nation has been contradicting its own constitution for more than 50 years and this has been the subject of controversy.
The Self Defence Force was first established to combat the military power of Japan in 1952. Following the establishment of the Self Defence Forces, the military forces were trained in different parts of the country from the time when the Self Defence Force was formed for the Japan-Goruba Conflict and the Vietnam War. Although it is clear that the forces have been training in different parts of the country for nearly 300 years, there is a strong possibility that the Japanese military force and the Self Defence Forces of Korea were still training in different parts of Korea during the Korean War period. Therefore, while the Self Defence Forces in the country are no longer training at different parts of Korea, the Self Defence Forces of South Korea had been training in Korea during the Korea-Pom-Choa Conflict in 1958, which was the time when the Armed Forces was formed. Since the Korean-Pom-Choa conflict had erupted in Korea after the end of the Korean War, the Self Defence Force had to establish and provide all facilities around a military base. Although most of the Self Defence Forces of South Korea were fighting in Korea for many years, it was decided that the Self Defence Forces would be more of an organized and independent military force that would work together only on an individual basis. These arrangements changed during the 1960s and 1970s when the Self Defence Force changed its military training to the military training training of a single unit of the National Guard and the Self Defence Force of the People’s Republic of Korea. The Self Defence Force changed to a system where its members were only employed only for training or to do other duty.
The Self Defence Forces of the Republic of Korea have been practicing for many years because of the great power that it represents. They practice because of the military strength of the country as well as because it is an important military state. For example, while they work together for self defence, the Self Defence Forces of South Korea conduct their own special military drills as well. However, it isn’t until 2002 and later, when the People’s Republic of Korea reorganized into a separate military force from the Korean Military Government (PKI), that their drills are completely different. The Military Forces of the Republic of Korea use their own special training exercises to train the personnel in the armed forces to better support their military power. A military force which receives the training from the military force of this Country is called an army. For example, when the military force of this country is organized into two separate military forces, which consist of the Self Defence Forces in the South, they train each other. Moreover, the Self Defence Forces of the Korea, as well as other special branches of the Military Force (such as the Army and Korea Railway Force, as well as the People’s Republic of Korea, the People’s Republic of China or the Army of Mongolia), will teach each other the special military training. This provides the special training to help train its officers more effectively and its training officer to understand the special forces. However, it is said that the military force of this country used its private training activities which are not the same as military training activities with its own special military forces and separate national forces when constructing such a military and national structure.
The special military training and training exercises of the Military Forces of Korea have been the subject of controversy and controversy again since it became clear the Armed Forces in the Country had decided to disband. The reasons are that the Armed Forces of this Country did not want to face the loss of its current armed forces, the loss of its military bases, and the loss of the strength of the Korean National Government. It would be inappropriate for the Armed Forces of this Country to remain active in an armed
The Self Defence Force was first established to combat the military power of Japan in 1952. Following the establishment of the Self Defence Forces, the military forces were trained in different parts of the country from the time when the Self Defence Force was formed for the Japan-Goruba Conflict and the Vietnam War. Although it is clear that the forces have been training in different parts of the country for nearly 300 years, there is a strong possibility that the Japanese military force and the Self Defence Forces of Korea were still training in different parts of Korea during the Korean War period. Therefore, while the Self Defence Forces in the country are no longer training at different parts of Korea, the Self Defence Forces of South Korea had been training in Korea during the Korea-Pom-Choa Conflict in 1958, which was the time when the Armed Forces was formed. Since the Korean-Pom-Choa conflict had erupted in Korea after the end of the Korean War, the Self Defence Force had to establish and provide all facilities around a military base. Although most of the Self Defence Forces of South Korea were fighting in Korea for many years, it was decided that the Self Defence Forces would be more of an organized and independent military force that would work together only on an individual basis. These arrangements changed during the 1960s and 1970s when the Self Defence Force changed its military training to the military training training of a single unit of the National Guard and the Self Defence Force of the People’s Republic of Korea. The Self Defence Force changed to a system where its members were only employed only for training or to do other duty.
The Self Defence Forces of the Republic of Korea have been practicing for many years because of the great power that it represents. They practice because of the military strength of the country as well as because it is an important military state. For example, while they work together for self defence, the Self Defence Forces of South Korea conduct their own special military drills as well. However, it isn’t until 2002 and later, when the People’s Republic of Korea reorganized into a separate military force from the Korean Military Government (PKI), that their drills are completely different. The Military Forces of the Republic of Korea use their own special training exercises to train the personnel in the armed forces to better support their military power. A military force which receives the training from the military force of this Country is called an army. For example, when the military force of this country is organized into two separate military forces, which consist of the Self Defence Forces in the South, they train each other. Moreover, the Self Defence Forces of the Korea, as well as other special branches of the Military Force (such as the Army and Korea Railway Force, as well as the People’s Republic of Korea, the People’s Republic of China or the Army of Mongolia), will teach each other the special military training. This provides the special training to help train its officers more effectively and its training officer to understand the special forces. However, it is said that the military force of this country used its private training activities which are not the same as military training activities with its own special military forces and separate national forces when constructing such a military and national structure.
The special military training and training exercises of the Military Forces of Korea have been the subject of controversy and controversy again since it became clear the Armed Forces in the Country had decided to disband. The reasons are that the Armed Forces of this Country did not want to face the loss of its current armed forces, the loss of its military bases, and the loss of the strength of the Korean National Government. It would be inappropriate for the Armed Forces of this Country to remain active in an armed
Some insist that it is for the sake of world peace to change the constitution so that Japan is able to maintain military forces and deploy them overseas, while others severely criticise this movement as a revival of militarism. Ultimately, Japan has to either, dissolve the SDF, or change the constitution for the first time since it was adopted, to be free from the prolonged and controversial contradiction.
Historical backgroundSoon after the defeat in World War Two, Japan was occupied by the United States (US) and other Allied Forces. Being fostered by the US, the new Japanese constitution came into force in 1947. However, in 1950, just three years after the constitution was issued, the Korean War broke out. Even though war took place in a neighbour country, Japan was virtually helpless to guarantee the nationЃfs external security. Therefore, Japan needed to have a defence relationship with the US. At the same time, the US wanted to build military bases just in front of Korea and the Soviet Union (USSR) because the war was about the Cold War, so to speak the opposition between the USSR and the US. As a result, with the encouragement of the US, the Japanese government authorized the establishment of the National Police Reserve, which would become the Self Defence Forces in a short time. Therefore, the government interpreted Article 9 as allowing for military forces for defensive purposes. In 1951, Japan entered into the Japan-US Security Treaty and Japan accepted the presence of US military forces within the nation. This is to say, from an USЃfs standpoint, the formation of military forces in Japan after World War Two was one of USЃfs anticommunism policies. However, antimilitaristic public opinion remained as a strong force in the nation and the constitutional legitimacy of the SDF was challenged many times.
InterpretationsSince the SDF was formed, the Japanese government has been expanding its interpretation on Article 9 so that the Self Defence Forces can participate in overseas peacekeeping activities.
Concretely, in 1992, the National Diet passed a United Nation(UN)Ѓfs Peacekeeping Cooperation Law which permitted the SDF to participate in UNЃfs peacekeeping operations under strictly limited conditions. Under the law, the forces were sent to Cambodia and Mozambique to participate in peacekeeping operations, which were actually appreciated and valued internationally.
Self-Defence Forces in IraqHowever, in 2004, The Koizumi cabinet decided to send troops to Iraq at the request from the US under the new law called Humanitarian Relief and Iraqi Reconstruction Special Measures Law. The SDF was sent in order to assist the US-led occupation of Iraq, participating in peacekeeping operation over the country. This deployment is considered as a significant turning point in the history of Japanese post-war politics as it is the first time since the end of World War Two that Japan sent troops abroad except for a few UN peacekeeping deployments. The deployment of troops to the battlefield was still not permitted under the new law and troops were to solely take part in police action However, the Iraqi territory all over could potentially be a battlefield and it is possible the troops engage in fight, which will contradict both of the two paragraphs in Article 9; renunciation of war and war potential. Public opinion regarding the deployment of troops to Iraq has divided the country sharply. 54 percent of respondents to a survey by Mainichi Shinbun, Japanese popular news paper, said they were opposed to Japan taking part in the war, while 33% approved it.
It must be noted that Japans military forces are constitutionally structured under the expanded interpretation of Article 9 which allows only defence-dedicated military forces. Therefore, The Democratic Party, the major opposition party, as well as many people criticize the law severely and insist that it is unconstitutional to simply deploy troops abroad.
Movement to amend Article 9In response to increasing public opinion regarding the deployment as an unconstitutional act, in 2005, the Liberal Democratic Party(LDP), the ruling party led by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, proposed an amendment to the current constitution in order to have military forces constitutionally and increase their roles in international affairs.
In the proposed draft, first paragraph of Article 9, renouncing war, is retained. The second paragraph, forbidding Ѓgthe maintenance of land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential” is replaced by an article which permits a “defence forces” and their
participation in international activities. This new article uses the Japanese term “Gun” which means army or military forces, and has been avoided in the current constitution since this word is sometimes associated with militarism or war. So, in the proposed draft, Self Defence Forces were changed into Self Defence Army. However, on the whole, by retaining the renunciation of war, the draft does respect the original intent of Article 9.
As mentioned, the Japanese government has been expanding the interpretation of article