article 9

Japan

is highly regarded abroad for its ability to check the possibility that Japanese could become a country that seeks after its own national interest by sword-rattling. To asian neighbors, the article is a symbol of what prevents Japanese from becoming a dangerous country.

Ultimately, it should be stressed that Article 9 is highly regarded abroad for its ability to check the possibility htat Japan could become a country that seeks after its own national interest by sword-rattling. To Asian neighbors, the article is a symbol of what prevents Japan from becoming a dangerous country.

is the normative source for political action seeking to realize a 'peace state' and to constrain policy-makers intent upon restoring legitimacy to the military as an instrumental of slate policy.

without impact. Most significantly, the normative implications of this clause cane seen in the inability of policy-makers to use the military as a legitimateinstrument of state policy. In the early post-war quest for identity in a bipolar,nuclearized world, progressive intellectuals and the SDPJ strove to imputepositive meaning into the constitution. In the late 1940s, the 'Peace IssuesDiscussion Group' and the socialist party developed the idea of unarmedneutrality as their attempt to formulate in concrete terms an identity for Japan asa 'peace state ': a state which deploys only non-violent resources in order torealize its interests. Article 9 was thus translated into an alternative to reliance onthe US-Japan Security Treaty, albeit one that was not realized. The constitutionbecame the normative source for political action seeking to realize a 'peace state'and to constrain policy-makers intent upon restoring legitimacy to the military asian instrun1enl of slate policy. Thus, Prime Minister Kishi's problem, When herammed the revision through the Diet in 1960, 'was not just the angry crowds milling around outside, but the fact that the polls showed substantial support foreither unarmed neutrality or dependence on the UN rather than the security treatywith the US.

Glenn D. HookThinkers

Glenn D. Hook