More Reluctant to Amendment

On the front page of Constitution’s Day, May 3^rd, newspapers reported the result of their polls on constitutional amendment. While the people were overwhelmingly skeptical on immediate necessity, the polls showed a tendency that they were more reluctant to the amendment. With slowdown of Japanese economy, on which Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been putting top priority, his conservative agenda looks to be missing its goal.

Asahi Shimbun asked 3,000 people whether Constitution of Japan should be amended. The responder who answered that the constitution does not have to be amended occupied 55%, while positive answer on the amendment was 37%. In the same survey last year, negative answer was 48% and the positive 43%. It proved growing number of people were negative on changing the constitution.

The people are highly reluctant on changing Article 9 of the constitution, which determines Japanese pacifism with renouncement of war. 68% replied that they thought Article 9 should not be changed, while 27% wanted some change. On adding emergency situation provision, which would render the government a great power for limiting human rights in emergency like war or disaster, 52% was against it overtaking 33% of the supporters.

In the poll of Mainichi Shimbun, protesters against constitutional amendment tied with the supporters with the same share of 42% each. However, people who thought that Article 9 should be changed defeated the reformer with great margin of 52% to 27%. Mainichi also asked 42 cities or towns in Tohoku region, where suffered from great earthquake five years ago, only one town answered that emergency situation provision was necessary in the constitution. Rest of them did not think so, even having experienced unprecedented emergency of quake or severe accident of nuclear power plant.

Growing tendency of preserving pacifism based on Article 9 proved that Japanese people did not think war to be the final answer even in the time when China is advancing to Pacific Ocean. As shown in the discussion of Presidential election campaign, United States is not fully reliable to possible contingency in South or East China Sea. Military power of Japan cannot deal with full-fledged China. So, the choice should be to refrain from direct power struggle and keeping momentum of peace. In Asahi poll, 73% of responders who did not think the amendment to be necessary recognized the effect of the constitution to avoid war. The constitution has been working as the peace stabilizer.