Article 9 and the Japanese Constitution : How did Japan change its constitution without amending it?

• Main Author: Samuelsson, Jacob
• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för statsvetenskap (ST) 2018
• Subjects: Japan; Article 9; Path Dependency; Institutions; Constitutional amendment; Political Science (excluding Public Administration Studies and Globalisation Studies); Statsvetenskap (exklusive studier av offentlig förvaltning och globaliseringsstudier)
• Online Access: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-77593

The purpose of the essay is to evaluate how the early years of the post-war political system laid the foundation for the amendment process. This turned out to be because of early adoption of a policy direction coupled with institutional memory let these decisions cement themselves as the de facto policy for Japan. Using path dependency by Paul Pierson the reasons for this could be analyzed using four analytical pointers that could explain the normative growth of certain ideas. History is not a straight line and the early decision making have long term effects implying that current day political discourse can have its roots decades back in time. Japans political group chose stability over national pride. Article 9 wasn’t amended because the people did not want to jeopardize their ticket to peace and prosperity. Japan chose economic recovery over military buildup and practiced a policy of non-aggression and sealed themselves off under the US security umbrella. Conservative politicians have hollowed out Article 9 by expanding the military over time. The original reasoning for upholding Article 9 no longer stand and the reasons for not amending it, while still prevalent, do not exist anymore.