Article IX Failed

Although no one would complain with a brave Pakistani young woman, Malala Yousafzai, receiving Nobel Peace Prize, there was a strange expectation spreading inside Japan. Some newspaper reported that Article IX of the Constitution of Japan topped the ranking of a bookmaker in Norway listing the possible recipient of the prize. It was actually an unusual movement of the leftist in Japan to counter radical attempts of Shinzo Abe administration and the conservatives to amend the article. As long as the Japanese nation is separated between the left and right, they would not achieve it.

The movement Article IX for Nobel Peace Prize started with an initiative of a housewife in Zama, Kanagawa, last year. With thirteen other members, consisted of other wives, businessmen or teachers, she collected supports through webpage and sent an application “the Japanese nation possessing Article IX” to Nobel Prize Committee last April. The supporting signature they collected all over Japan amounted to four hundred and ten thousands.

Against low expectation for the newcomer to receive the prize, Peace Research Institute Oslo placed Article IX on the top of possible recipients. It focused on the deteriorating security situation in Ukraine and East Asia in listing. “It is a good opportunity for Nobel Peace Prize to get back to its original principle for seeking peace,” explained the institute, according to Tokyo Shimbun. However, the institute won only one time, when Al Gore received the prize in 2007.

The opinion in Japan is far from integration for protecting Article IX. Liberal Democratic Party, presided with Abe, has been seeking constitutional amendment from its establishment in 1955. On Article IX, the party asserts to change it to be available for possessing defense force and to enable use of force. Japan Restoration Party, enjoyed temporary popularity and kept on division and merging with other party, once upheld abolition of the constitution, dismissing it as pushed by the United States. Total amount of anti-constitution powers makes significant majority in polls.

The leftists expected that Abe would be in hard situation, if Nobel Committee had chosen Article IX. But it is not so easy, because the meaning of existence of the article is hard to understand, since Japan is not recognized as a threat against world peace. If North Korea announces that it is not going to strike Japan, or China stops its assertion on Senkaku Islands, because of Japan’s peaceful constitution, then Nobel Committee may consider the prize for Article IX.