Article 9 conference concludes with call for Japan to keep pacifist constitution

Wednesday 07th May, 02:25 AM JST

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11 Comments

Tricknsam at 10:52 AM JST - 6th May

The world has changed, those that you thought were your friends have shown they are really the enemy. Japan is in a war right now but most people do not know it!, It is a economic war to break Japan through Global connections to banking, food and oil. All being controlled by outside forces using there heavy hand to manipulate Japanese abilitie to control there own destiny. Eurpoean Union and WTO organizations are monopolys of those that call themselves the "Superclass" used to be "SuperRace" if you remember? Japan needs a strong military for protection a real nuclear umbrella, consisting of 12 nuclear submarines with high powered long range missles! Only Japan can protect it self, not a Lobbyist in Washington controlling America through a foreign government seeking war on the world for the "SuperRace".
BrightEyes at 11:57 AM JST - 6th May

Realistically speaking Japan may very well need to gain the acquiescence of other Asian nations to rearm, but the idea that the country needs to obtain their approval like some sort of supplicant is absurd.

It only goes to show that many of those who extol the virtues of Article 9 continue to view Japan as a less-than-sovereign nation that is part of the world community only on a probationary status. It also shows that they do not trust their countrymen with responsibility in the international arena.
medievaltimes at 04:31 PM JST - 6th May

What an immature and naive way of looking at a situation.
GrouchyGaijin at 06:58 PM JST - 6th May

Article 9 could actually be a great piece of legislation if Japan hadn't already got an Imperial Japanese Navy, Air Force and Army, recently reinstated after the last round of Parliament, when Koike-chan was Minister for a few weeks! Those F-16 lookalikes and the F-15s flying around are just figments of your imagination! Like those non-existent Patriot-II batteries a swingin' day & night, and the nookular weapons in storage at Fuji Heavy Industries' warehouses!
OssanULTRA at 04:16 AM JST - 7th May

"the participants pledged to build an international campaign to support the war-renouncing constitutional provision ‘‘as a shared property of the world.’’

Any component of a given nation's constitution is not shared with any other nation. And it;s certaibly news to all tyhe other nations.

‘‘Article 9 is not just a provision of Japanese law; it can also act as an international peace mechanism that can be adopted by other states to maintain peace throughout the world,’’

No it can't. It's jurisdiction lies only in the country of Japan. It can be ignored and treated as nonexistent by other countries.

Are all these folks on drugs?
WhiteHawk at 04:43 AM JST - 7th May

‘‘Article 9 is not just a provision of Japanese law; it can also act as an international peace mechanism that can be adopted by other states to maintain peace throughout the world,’’

It's one thing to maintain peace by keeping countries from starting wars, but what about non-state entities?
Shumatsu_Samurai at 06:39 AM JST - 7th May

So groups like these will complain when the US decides to be the "world policeman", yet at the same time they don't want Japan or their respective countries to get involved.

So if the US can't get involved, Japan can't get involved, Russia and China don't want to get involved, Germany, France, the UK, etc, etc decide to stay at home....

... who IS going to do anything about global security - the UN? Given the latest reports about mass rapings and gun-running, they don't exactly fill me with confidence. And as soon as any of the five permanent members of the UNSC are involved in a matter, directly or indirectly, they'd just veto any resolution leaving countries to take action independently - which they wouldn't do without the US.

When various "pro-peace" groups say things like "not in my name", what they actually mean is "get someone else to do it".
Triple888 at 08:17 AM JST - 7th May

Japan has powerful friends so why would it even reconsider a change to the constitution?
OssanULTRA at 08:42 AM JST - 7th May

"Japan has powerful friends so why would it even reconsider a change to the constitution?"

Because Japan's most powerful friend and nuclear guardian wants Japan to agree to collective defense. In plain English- if China attacks Taiwan, and we have to defend it we want Japan to join in.
Alphaape at 01:38 PM JST - 7th May

Here's a quick primer on what Article 9 does to Nippon. It was a good idea when it was first introduced (right after the occupation and the Korean War was on, the US wanted to keep a better lid on things in this region and a rising communist movement in Japan may have been one of the motives that this was included as a method to make sure there were lesser chances of another war). But back to topic:

If a country like nK were to launch an attack on Japan, Japan under Article 9 would be able to defend itself. However, that would be all it would be able to do. The forces would not be able to carry the war back to nK land mass and attack the source of weapons and their supplies. So, the logistics train in nK would be untouched, while Japan would take hits. The JGSDF would not be able to establish themselves in nK since that would be an act of war and not a defensive measure.

Hence the role of the US. By treaty we are here to defend Japan. It is a lot harder than it looks to plan a bombing campaign against an enemey. Targets have to be identified, and risks mitigated. The US plans for this, but Japan forces do not. Yes they can fight, but the detailed planning of projecting a strike against an enemy is probably not one of their strong suits. So the US is the fall back, to carry the war to the enemy, while Japan defends their homeland.

With all the move to get the US forces out of Japan, you never really read about the thoughts of the J military. They are aware of this, and I have no doubt in their abilities, but they have not had the practice. Just look at what happened when the JMSDF destroyer collided with a fishing boat, and the reporting confusion that resulted from that. Multiply that many times more, and you will have what it takes to plan an offensive against an enemy.

What does an enemy like nK think? Keep Article 9 and kick the US forces out. Then they would pretty much be assured that their infrastructure would remain intact if they were to attack Japan.

In my opinion, Article 9 has served it's purpose, and needs to be repealed. That still does not give the nation the authority to wage war whenever it wanted, but if there were other articles that decribed how force should be used (like the US War Powers Act, etc) would better serve Japan.
Tricknsam at 03:38 PM JST - 7th May

Japan needs not wage war on anyone!, but it does need to protect itself, do you not think Israel with its four hundred nuclear bombs is protecting it self? Japan has no friends, only occupiers that pressure Japan on all issues. Japan needs to watch its back, not its front. Do you think these innovative financial products were not war against Japan, Do you think that trying to get Japan less secure in food is not war againist Japan, Do you think that Japan Whale boat issues are about whales?, Do you think that arresting Miura was about his wife`s murder twenty five years ago? Japan is in great! danger of being enslaved with the rest of humanity by those calling themselves the "SuperClass" Book or the "SuperRace" now who said this in the past.