Phil Oyerly

Article 9

Article 9 of the Japanese constitution reflects the current world thinking at the end of the Second World War. At this time in world history, war was a means of imperialism; it was initiated with the intent to gain control of land and people, and to expand a country’s economic sphere of influence. In relinquishing the right to wage war, Japan did not forgo the right to armed conflict as a means of self-defense.

World War Two, and particularly the post-war reconstruction resulted in a shift in the mentality of warfare. War stopped being about power and land, and became more like a police action. Modern war is used by coalitions of powerful nations to correct perceived injustices in other lands. Once corrected, the invading armies are withdrawn, returning the balance of power. This new form of warfare has been used to stop human suffering, ethnic cleansing, and civil war, and most recently to overthrow state governments that support terrorism.

The intent of Article 9 of the Japanese constitution is to prevent Japan from acting as an imperial nation. Japan should feel free to maintain self-defense forces, as well as a distant strike capability to deal with threats before they threaten the Japanese islands.