Article 9 Essay by Yujiro Ichioka

(An essay by Yujiro Ichioka, a Waseda University student who was in Vancouver to study English for his spring holiday.)


About Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution

Yujiro Ichioka

We should protect Article 9 of the Japanese constitution. We should send it all over the world with pride that we were born in Japan, which has the “Peace Constitution.”

Today, there is a movement by some politicians to amend the constitution to make a Japanese army. If they were to amend it, they should form a new constitution which declares more clearly we do not have military power.

Surely, a military gives each country power in international politics. To think about this from some politicians’ perspective, it may seem unacceptable that Japan has fallen behind other developed countries due to not having an army. For example, Japan couldn’t send defense forces to the Iraq war smoothly. As a result, it was blamed by other countries.

When war happens, the people who actually go to battlefield, who actually bleed, are civilians, like us. Nobody living should want to kill anyone or be killed by anyone. It is natural that everyone wants peaceful happiness. I believe this is a simple and clear truth.

But, as previously mentioned, that it is politically advantageous to have military power is a truth, too. Now, the United States, which leads all developed countries, is fighting. And, military power, including nuclear weapons, can be used as a political card, such as North Korea does.

Thus, two conflicting truths exist in the world.

What can we do based on this situation? The answer is that we Japanese should take the lead and send Article 9 of the Japanese constitution all over the world.

Japan has experienced being an assailant and a victim by big past wars. And, now we Japanese lead a peaceful life where we don’t have to think, “I may die tomorrow.” We gained the “Peace Constitution” and this life through past big experiences. As such, we should send Article 9 of the Japanese constitution all over the world.

My idea may be childish and idealistic, but I hope that Article 9 of the Japanese constitution will guide the world to peace.