Meiji Day Movement

It was a national holiday called Culture Day on Friday. Constitution of Japan was proclaimed on that day seventy-one years ago. Holiday Law of Japan defines the day as for loving freedom and peace and promoting culture. There is an ultra conservative movement for changing the name of the holiday, which was formally called Meiji Emperor Day. Those constitution haters topped by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe do everything to destroy current constitution.

Former Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida chose November 3^rd, the birthday of Emperor Mutsuhito of Meiji, for the day of proclamation of Constitution of Japan to cerebrate the birth of new post-war democratic constitution. Accordingly, the day of activation of the Constitution six months later, May 3^rd, was named as Constitution Day. The Japanese people did not have any question on the intention of those holidays for a long time in the democratic regime after the war.

There appeared Meiji Day Promotion Conference in 2011, which argued renaming November 3^rd as Meiji Day. Mostly organized by the members of ultra-conservative group, Japan Conference, Meiji Day Promotion Conference appeals that it is baseless to connect the birthday of Meiji Emperor with culture. However, naming it Meiji Day is fundamentally ridiculous when one supposes possible movement of creating new holidays named after former Emperors’ birthdays.

The movement is firmly supported by apparently conservative political allies of Abe, including former Minister of Defense, Tomomi Inada, who stepped down with inappropriate handlings of defense policy, or Abe’s old friend in conservatism, Representative Keiji Furuya. They sent message of supporting the movement or led signature-collecting campaign for Meiji Day.

On the background is firm sentiment of hating Constitution of Japan, labeling it as an orphan born in the time of post-war occupation by United Nations. When Emperor Hirohito of Showa died in 1989, there was a discussion how to name the holiday of Emperor’s birthday, April 29^th. Although it was once named Green Day, Jun-ichiro Koizumi administration change the name into Showa Day, which was activated in 2007. This successful experience encourages those conservatives for Meiji Day.

Those constitution haters are on the minority side of Japanese society. While Abe hopes to amend the Constitution by adding a description of Self-defense Force in Article 9, the poll by Kyodo News Agency proved that 52% of the people opposed Abe’s idea, while 38% supported. They had better to end the movement of increasing holidays of adoring past Emperors in order to degrade current Constitution, on which they stand.