Links

Current Debate on Constitutional Revision

愛知和男　平成憲法・愛知私案
http://www.aichi-kazuo.net/kenpou/index.html
This personal website belongs to Aichi Kazuo, former member of the House of Representatives. It offers an original revision draft known as the Aichi Draft. The draft emphasizes the role of the emperor, introduces Japanese culture and spirit in the Preamble, identifies the emperor as the chief of state, defines "Hinomaru (日の丸)" as the national flag and "Kimigayo (君が代)" as the anthem, promotes peaceful resolution of international conflicts, calls for revision of both clauses of Article 9; renames the SDF as a security force; and establishes articles about the environment, rights to privacy, and measures for dealing with national emergency.

平和フォーラム
http://www.peace-forum.com/
This website is a large anti-revision, peace-seeking forum that publicizes anti-revision meetings, demonstrations, books, and articles. It also addresses the following issues: US army bases in East Asia and Okinawa; dispatching SDF troops to Iraq; history textbooks; and Japan's relations with South Korea. It contains links to other anti-revision organizations; schedules of meetings for both Houses' Research Commission on the Constitution, a list of members in the commissions, as well as a summary of comments made by people who spoke in the commissions' meetings.

自由民主党　憲法調査会
http://www.jimin.jp/jimin/kenpou/index.html
This website lists names and minutes of the meetings of the LDP's Research Commission on the Constitution (自由民主党憲法調査会). It has links assigned to each meeting. The links present a short abstract of the meeting as well as a summary of comments made by the members of Diet and other participants in the meeting. Each meeting covers a different topic such as the preamble, Diet, Cabinet, judiciary, financial affairs, citizens' rights and responsibilities, prefectural governments, national defense, and the emperor.

自由民主党　憲法改正のポイント
http://www.jimin.jp/jimin/jimin/2004_seisaku/kenpou/
This website set out the LDP's stance on constitutional revision, proposing the following changes: 1. create a new Preamble; 2. achieve a "realistic peace," and prepare for emergencies by changing the SDF to a military force; 3. establish "new human rights," including the right to privacy; 4. establish a new definition of the "public;" 5. improve relations between the Diet and the Cabinet.

憲法調査推進議員連盟
http://www1.sphere.ne.jp/KENPOU/
The is the website of an official congressional association composed of more than 300 Diet members favoring constitutional revision. It provides the association's mission statement and membership, and a comparative history of the constitutions of Japan and Germany. The website claims that Germany's constitution was created by its own citizens, while the constitution of Japan was imposed by the United States. The dramatic improvement in the economy and welfare in the postwar decades helped Japan occupy an honorable position in the international community, but in order for Japan to make a further contribution to the world, it must be concerned about the preservation of world peace. The constitution (especially Article 9, clause 2) should be revised in order to adapt to new challenges and situations.

憲法改悪反対共同センター
http://www.kyodo-center.jp/
The website is dedicated to developing an anti- constitutional revision movement throughout Japan. It introduces articles from major newspapers criticizing revision, as well as minutes of meetings and links to associations opposed to constitutional revision. This website states that the United States, LDP, and Nippon Keidanren intend to make Japan a "war-waging country" through the revision of the constitution.

憲法会議：憲法改悪阻止各界連絡会議
http://www.kenpoukaigi.gr.jp/
The website introduces many anti-revision groups. It also features many constitutional-revision-related articles from newspapers, periodicals, statements made by various groups, and reports submitted by several research commissions of the constitution. The website seeks to spread awareness about the constitution, build connections among the groups, and promote anti-revision movements.

けんぽう市民フォーラム
http://members.jcom.home.ne.jp/web-kenpou/
The website presents monthly reports summarizing the association's constitutional revision activities. It also contains a list of meetings and a summary of comments made in the meetings in the Research Commission on the Constitution of the House of Councilors. This association defines its role as the supervisor of the Research Commission on the Constitution of the House of Councilors.

国立国会図書館 主な日本国憲法改正試案及び提言 Issue brief, 474
http://www.ndl.go.jp/jp/data/publication/issue/0474.pdf
This website contains a sixteen page report (in PDF format) made by the National Diet Library on fifteen different drafts on constitutional revision. Three of the drafts are made by political parties, three by governors, and nine by institutes, associations, and private companies. The table is clear and concise, providing a quick overview of what each draft is proposing for the new constitution.

駒澤大学法学部西ゼミナール
http://www.komazawa-u.ac.jp/~nishi/
This is a personal website created by Osamu Nishi, a professor of Law at Komazawa University. The website focuses on Article 9 and states that the Constitution of Japan is one of more than 148 existing constitutions in the world that can be considered to promote pacifism. The website lists several principles on pacifism and presents how the articles in some non-Japanese constitutions comply with these principles. It also introduces an original revision draft made by Osamu.

九条の会
http://www.9-jo.jp/
This website features one of the largest anti-constitutional revision associations in Japan. The association was founded in 2004, and has more than 5,000 branches and tens of thousands of supporters. Founders of the association include Oe Kenzaburo, Tsurumi Shinsuke, and Igami Hiroshi. It argues that advocates of constitutional revision intend for Japan to follow the United States and change Japan into a "war-waging country," and that the U.S. occupation of Iraq makes clear that resolution of conflict through force is unrealistic. Japan needs to develop ties of friendship with peoples of Asia and other regions and shift its diplomatic stance away from the priority on military alliance with the United States. The website collects short messages from scholars, lawyers, writers, and artists and also introduces updated activities, publications, and mail magazines sponsored by the association.

水島朝穂  平和憲法のメッセージ
http://www.asaho.com/
This is a personal website created by Mizushima Asaho, law professor at Waseda University, who supports and publicizes messages on maintaining the present constitution. In addition to his weekly online articles, his website offers unique perspectives on constitutional revision, introductions to his books, and many links to both foreign and domestic websites dealing with the postwar constitution.

日本財団図書館 私はこう考える[憲法改正について]
http://nippon.zaidan.info/seikabutsu/2002/01252/mokuji.htm (Reference - Constitution Resource 日本財団図書館 http://nippon.zaidan.info/index.html )
This website, maintained by the Nippon Foundation, presents its collection of more than 550 harvested articles regarding constitutional revision. The articles are collected from 1946 to 2003, from four major Japanese newspapers, as well as articles written by many influential governors and scholars. The articles are listed in a chronological order and are sorted by the name of newspaper and by author.

小沢一郎 日本国憲法改正試案
http://www.ozawa-ichiro.jp/policy/04.htm
The website states Ichiro Ozawa’s views regarding constitutional revision, with specific recommendations for the new constitution. Ozawa mentions that the current constitution was created under foreign occupation, and therefore is invalid and does not reflect the views and history of Japan. He proposes that the Preamble should be rewritten; the emperor should be declared the head of state; Japanese must revise article 9 to legitimate the right of self-defense by the SDF; and that a UN regular military force should be established. In addition, Ozawa suggests revising the notion of "welfare of the public (公共の福祉)" to include provisions for new human rights, abolishing the House of Councilors elections, revising Chapter 4 of the constitution regarding the Diet, establishing a court of justice for constitutional revision, and considering revising the procedure for constitutional revision.

社民党　憲法をめぐる議論についての論点整理
http://www5.sdp.or.jp/central/topics/kenpou0310.html
This website states the views of the Social Democratic Party against constitutional revision. The party opposes making changes to Article 9, changing the preamble, and changing the emperor’s title to " 元首 (the head of state)." The party suggests that the current SDF violates the constitution, and a series of laws enacted recently such as the National Emergency Legislations, Anti-terrorism Legislation, and the revision for PKO Legislation violate the principle of Article 9. The party supports the idea of expanding (広める the current constitution by clarifying principles of peace, welfare, and human rights in the current constitution. The party also mentions the separation of church and state, relations between states and citizens, responsibilities of citizens, local prefectural governments, education, and method of voting on constitutional amendments.

市民メディア・インターネット新聞JanJan 日本国憲法リンク集
http://www.janjan.jp/link/0504/0504170939/1.php
The website presents public opinion polls and surveys gathered since January 2003 on constitutional revision. It shows a high level of public opposition to revision, particularly of Article 9. For example, one of its articles introduces a survey in which 77% of a total sample of 28,169 people in 11 prefectures opposed changing Article 9; 12% approved revision; and 11% had no response. Other articles on the website introduce symposia, talk shows, and personal opinions regarding constitutional revision.

市民立憲フォーラム
http://www.citizens-i.org/kenpo/
This website encourages Japanese citizens to consider and discuss the constitution, and seeks to provide the citizens with comprehensive information about the constitution. It presents its own draft for a new constitution by Ebashi Takashi, as well as translations of the constitution in Chinese and Korean. It also introduces recent news; citizens' constitutional forums; the revision movement of each political party; numerous academic theses about constitutional revision; an original glossary for the constitution; and a record of all meetings made by the Research Commission on the Constitution of the House of Councilors and of the House of Representatives. The website raises further issues such as citizens' rights and responsibilities; structural revision of prefectural governments; human rights; the right to privacy; environmental problems; and the national anthem.

市民と憲法研究者をむすぶ憲法問題Web
http://www.jca.apc.org/~kenpoweb/
The website introduces anti-revision articles and academic theses written by scholars, writers, and governors. The website also provides a concise summary of constitution-related events in a chronological order since 1991 to 2001.