Debate is growing in Japan over the country's post-war pacifist constitution, which was adopted in 1946, particularly Article 9, which renounces the right to go to war and prohibits the possession of war potential. 

The results of an opinion poll conducted by the Japanese newspaper Tokyo Shimbun published on Sunday show that more than 70 percent of the country's lawmakers favor revising the constitution, with a majority pointing to the document's pacifist clause.

Support for amending Article 9 is strongest among members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).

Ninety-six percent of LDP lawmakers who replied to the poll said they support a revision, and 80 percent of them said Article 9 should be changed.

A result of Japan's defeat in World War II, Article 9 makes it crystal clear that the country permanently "renounces war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat to use force" as a means of solving the country's international disputes.

This provision has been traditionally interpreted as prohibiting the nation from exercising the right to collective defence, including joint military operations with US forces and collective security activities, such as United Nations (UN) peacekeeping operations.

It also stipulates the country should not develop its land, navy and air military forces, with its Self-Defence Force (SDF) mainly used for maintaining social order.

Those in favor of constitutional amendments claim that the provision "renouncing war as a sovereign right" is out of touch with the changing international situation as well as the realities of Japanese society.

More specifically, they argue it would be irresponsible for Japan not to develop and possess its own military forces, as a non-military constitution leaves Japan vulnerable to attacks.

It is widely believed Japan's eagerness to break away from the restraints of its post-war pacifist constitution is a key step to getting rid of the restraints that have long constricted the development of its military power. And efforts to clear the road for the realization of this ambition began years ago.

To gain a higher international profile, Japan has been expanding its military role overseas since the end of the Cold War, especially under the banner of fighting terrorism, since the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States in 2001.

Early last year, the Japanese Congress passed three so-called contingency bills, which have given the country much more room for making its own decisions about what constitutes a potential threat, and open the door for the adoption of a pre-emptive military strategy.

Despite strong public opposition, Japan dispatched its SDF to Iraq last month with the legal back-up of the aforementioned laws, marking the nation's biggest and most dangerous overseas military mission since World War II.

The country's military spending has remained the world's second largest for years, behind only that of the United States. It has equipped its SDF with the world's most sophisticated weaponry despite its lack of a legal foundation to develop military forces. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi reiterated late last year his desire to transform the country's SDF into an army by revising Article 9 of the country's pacifist constitution.

Japan's post-war decision to seek peaceful development -- a decision based on lessons drawn from WWII -- has played a major role in the country's development.

There have been more than 50 years of peace since the war, and this has helped Japan become an economic power.

As a responsible member of the East Asia community, it is in its own best interest as well as that of the region that Japan continues its pacifist policies.

(China Daily February 18, 2004)