At issue is defense or destruction of the Constitution -- Akahata editorial, October 20Japan now faces a choice between two roads: one that will remake Japan into a nation that defends the war-renouncing Article 9 of the Constitution for world peace and the other that will adversely revises it in order to constitutionally take part in U.S. wars.
With the governing Liberal Democratic Party putting forward a call for constitutional revision as part of its election policies, the outcome of the coming House of Representatives general election could have a serious effect on Japan in the 21st century and influence the world as well.
The major current of the 21st century
The LDP's campaign platform, known as the Koizumi reform plan,states, "In 2005, the government will make great strides towards constitutional revision." It openly calls for a procedural set up that includes the revision of the Diet Law and the enactment of a National Referendum Law.
The opposition Democratic Party of Japan in its election policies openly calls for a nationwide discussion of the Constitution to be developed into an effort to revise it.
The Japanese Communist Party is confronting these forces calling for constitutional revision.
Why has the LDP begun to include the constitutional revision in its election platform? The reason is that, although Japan has tried to meet the U.S. request for a constitutional revision by stretching the interpretation of the Constitution, Japan can no longer use this method to meet the U.S. demand that Japan take part in U.S. wars abroad.
In fact, Prime Minister Koizumi Jun'ichiro at his first press conference since he took office stressed that "Japan won't be able to just watch U.S. forces being attacked."
The Koizumi Cabinet insists that the Self-Defense Forces will be sent exclusively to "non-combat zones" in Iraq. If the war-renouncing Article 9 of the Constitution is amended or removed, the SDF will be allowed to join with the U.S. forces to kill people in any battlefield throughout the world.
The LDP Research Commission on the Constitution's draft of constitutional revisions calls for the establishment of a "Self-Defense Army" to be used for Japan's "international contribution."
Similar amendments are being proposed by the governing coalition partners, the Komei and New Conservative parties.
As if in response to the LDP's move, the Democratic Party has begun to call for the SDF to be allowed to take part in multilateral forces in Iraq if they are organized in accordance with a United Nations resolution. The interim report of the DPJ constitution research council also suggests that the preamble and Article 9 of the Constitution might be considered for revision.
A security minister of the DPJ's so-called "next cabinet" says in a magazine that the preamble to the Constitution stipulating "renunciation of war" is important, but no one can rule out a possibility of "war breaking out" and that it is necessary to revise the Constitution to enable Japan to exercise the right of collective self-defense.
These arguments for constitutional revision only pave the way for Japan's participation in war, completely running counter to the needs of the world.
What the international community wants is a way to solve international disputes by peaceful rules based on the U.N. Charter, not by means of war but by Japan's contribution through nonviolence means in compliance with the Japanese Constitution.
Article 9 of the Constitution is the pioneering "treasure for peace" and the pride of the world and is in accord with the world trend in the 21st century. The proponent of Article 9 at the Constituent Assembly stated, "Article 9 expresses Japan's firm determination to take a lead of peace-loving nations along the broad highway of justice."
The Constitution is playing a significant role in preventing Japan from going to war, guaranteeing basic human rights and people's social economic rights, and defending peace and people's livelihoods.
Block adverse revision of the Constitution with people power
The JCP strictly observes all articles of the Constitution, and tries to allow Article 9 and all other peaceful democratic constitutional provisions to guide the Japanese people in politics, the economy, diplomacy, and social life. From this viewpoint, the JCP firmly opposes the adverse revision of the Constitution.
The JCP, as the only party that stood firm against Japan's war of aggression in the pre-war period, makes an all-out effort to thwart any plan to adversely revise the Constitution and calls for broader cooperation to protect the Constitution.
The government is trying to divert Japan's resolve for peace. Standing up squarely against such attempts, the JCP's advance will be important for the defense of peace in Japan and the rest of the world, people's living conditions, and basic civil rights. (end)