As a Matter of Unconsciousness

Mainichi Shimbun carried on Monday a story of interview to a Japanese thinker, Kojin Karatani, on the meaning of Article 9 in Constitution of Japan. While Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had been hating the Article as denying status of Self-defense Force, the interview cultivated whether the Japanese people have been receiving its benefit or suffering from its restriction. Karatani defined Article 9 as a mater of unconsciousness planted by the governance of Tokugawa regime in Edo era.

Karatani indicated a fundamental contradiction in the argument of Abe. Abe proposed adding Section 3 to Article 9, which would determine the status of Self-defense Force, leaving Section 2 on renouncement of force. Karatani realized that Abe’s idea would not make any difference from traditional reinterpretation of the Article as long as Section 2 would remain. “Under the Constitution of Japan, Self-defense Force cannot wage war in overseas and collective self-defense as another version of military alliance is not allowed,” said Karatani. He required Abe to change the Article, knowing that to be impossible for Abe being afraid of defeat in the referendum.

Karatani reasoned that Abe would be defeated in the referendum, because the issue was not about consciousness, but unconsciousness. He defined unconsciousness as super-ego in the term of an Austrian neurologist, Sigmund Freud. Although Article 9 came from war experience of the Japanese people, it was not based on conscious regret on it, making it difficult to be changed through education or propaganda. “Abandoning war with outer pressure produced conscience that required further abandonment of war. In that meaning, Article 9 was the choice of the Japanese and culture of them,” Karatani elaborated.

He sees the basis of Article 9 in Tokugawa Shogunate after long Warring State Period. For samurais to carry sword was not defending themselves with weapon, but symbol of their status. “Culture of Tokugawa indeed was the precedence of Article 9,” argued Karatani. Raising introduction of conscription and invasion to Korean Peninsula after Tokugawa regime, Karatani insisted that Article 9 was unconscious regret to what the Japanese had done after Meiji Restoration.

For Karatani, Article 9 is a gift to the international society. “If a country offends Japan, presenter of the gift, it will be accused in international society. Power of gift overtakes that of military or economy,” told Karatani. He argued that Japan posed threat on North Korea by possessing Self-defense Force, which did not mean implementing Article 9. “The best way for Japan is to declare activation of Article 9 in General Assembly of United Nations,” said Karatani.