It’s Time for Japan to vote a New Constitution

Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and one of the longest-running prime ministers in the position of Prime Minister of Japan believes that the time has come and now is the right time for Japan to acquire a new Constitution. The Constitution of Japan has not changed for many decades and always after the end of the WWII.

by Thanos S. Chonthrogiannis

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The objectives of the Constitutional review

The main body of the Constitutional review which Mr. Abe will try to change concerns the new role that the armed forces of Japan will take (Japan’s Self-Defense Forces). The issues of the electoral districts of the upper house, the issues relating to the emergency powers of the Council of Ministers as well as the right of citizens to free education.

But changing the country’s Constitution is a very difficult task since the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) led by Mr. Abe, requires the support of two-thirds votes of both the House of Councilors (Upper House) and the House of Representatives (Lower House). In addition to all this, there is a need for a majority in a referendum on these issues. But the problem is that Mr. Abe lost the allied majority which he has in the Upper House in elections that took place in July.

Essentially, the loss of two-thirds in the upper house forces the Prime Minister of Japan to change his strategic approach to the whole matter. Only a sincere debate with the other political parties in the upper and lower house on the reasons for changing all these issues in the Japanese Constitution will have a successful conclusion on the objectives of Mr. Abe.

Above all, however, the Japanese people will have to be presented with what the new role of the Japanese Armed Forces will mark for the rest of the world and for Japan itself.

Japan’s role and economic growth after the World War II

Japan after the end of the WWII and throughout the Cold War functioned under the US military umbrella as well as the whole of Western Europe. This military security umbrella for Japan was achieved through the Security treaty signed between the US and Japan (1959) which ensured the defence of Japan by external invaders.

For the US, Japan as well as Western Europe with prominent Western Germany was a vital objective to flourish economically. Japan, having been fully integrated into the US economic system, was parallel (together with South Korea) and the advanced outpost/bases of the US Army in north-east Asia. In other words, Japan’s economic rise would function as a mound for the economic, military and political rise of China.

The economic rise of Japan was achieved in the 1960 and lasted until the end of the 1980 and was due to innovation and above all to the diligence and self-discipline of the proud Japanese people.

Challenges and opportunities today for Japan

In today’s era and thirty years after the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the USSR, the challenges and opportunities presented at the world stage for Japan are many and different.

From the WWII, and to this day, the Japanese people are proud of their unparalleled appeal to peace, necessarily changing the field of action (from the military field before the WWII, the possessions of Imperial Japan made the Japanese proud) in economic and industrial sector by achieving Japan’s economic marvel by making the Japanese economy the world’s third largest economy (or fourth after the EU).

The change in article 9 of the Constitution, which defines both the size and maintenance costs of the Japanese Armed Forces, releasing them from any imposed restrictions existed to date, having exclusive the defensive mission which was related solely in defending the country will change the challenges to date in force for Japan.

This type of change will mark the world community that it is time for Japan to reflect its economic power to date and in the military sector. In this case, the Japanese defence industry will be able to develop drastically because of the public spending that will increasingly absorb technological development and the equipment of the new Japanese Armed Forces, causing a rapid increase its GDP to be combined with increased exports of Japanese weapons systems.

Any concerns of the neighbouring countries of Japan have no basis. Because the other states are also militarily developed and we all know that in the current era when the big states are nuclear forces, any problems between the states are solved by diplomacy.

Moreover, another great reason for the incorrectness of the concerns of neighbouring states is the fact that the more than seventy years of peace and prosperity enjoyed by the Japanese people have made the Japanese very appreciative of these achievements which gained by living in a highly liberal and democratic society.

On the other hand, the participation of the Japanese Armed Forces in international military missions abroad and as persistently asked by the USA from Japan (participation in the international mission for the safety of the Hurmuz Strait in the Persian Gulf) although it will give the image that Japan is partly interfering with the issues of the third countries, but on the other hand, is not possible the third/fourth world economy to not be involved in international military missions.

What should alarm the political world of Japan is the fact that raw materials are scarce from domestic production, forcing Japan to depend, primarily on energy, on imports of these raw materials from third countries.

Securing guarantees for the seamless flow of the necessary raw materials to the Japanese economy, mainly from its allies and not only, should be the issue that the Japanese will employ in detail before proceeding with the change to article 9.

In addition, Japan’s political system must understand that the participation in international military missions could give the possibility of military engagement. How will the peaceful Japanese society react if there are Japanese military deaths?

Japan and all the liberal democratic societies of the planet are subject to significant political costs when their military personnel lose their lives abroad due to the participation of their country in military actions.

In this matter Japan should learn from the USA where in order to reduce human life losses use unmanned weapons systems with the participation of only special forces in special operations. By this methods USA manages successfully to reduce and minimize, always in relation to the past, any political costs may bring the losses of their military personnel.

Given that with sincere dialogue between political parties and citizens, the above issues are clarified in detail, Japan will have to go into a new era by changing its Constitution, enabling its peaceful people to evolve into a new field of action.

The world community will welcome this change in article 9 to the Constitution of Japan. Surely the Japanese are proud of the fact that they have not changed their Constitution for many years. But in life at both individual and national level the life law is that nothing stays stable and that everything changes when the time is right.

Thanos S. Chonthrogiannis