Japan’s prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, plans to amend the constitution for the first time since it went into effect in 1947. Takaichi argues that article nine imposes unfair restrictions on Japan’s ability to defend itself.
“It’s no secret that she is not an admirer of article nine of the constitution, which is this key clause of the Japanese constitution,” the Guardian’s Tokyo correspondent, Justin McCurry, tells Helen Pidd. “It means that Japan renounces war as a sovereign right and prohibits the maintenance of armed forces with war potential.
“So what that means in practical terms is that Japan can only use military force as a purely defensive measure if it comes under attack first.
“It’s actually important to say that legislation has been passed in the past decade that stretches that interpretation. So that Japan might be able to come to the aid of an ally, ie the United States, but if you’re looking purely at what the constitution says, then Japan can only use military force as a defensive response, which is why the Japanese military is actually called the self-defence forces.”
Justin tells Helen how the plans have been received by the public in Japan, and what the change would mean for the wider region.
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