79th WIAPS Seminar

This presentation examines the narratives that pro-constitutional revision political actors in Japan have promoted as part of their efforts to revise the Article 9 ‘peace clause’ of Japan’s post-war Constitution. These narratives include: (1) that the constitution was imposed by the United States, (2) that it has become obsolete over time, (3) that it irresponsibly stripped Japan of its security autonomy, (4) that it restricts Japan from making international contributions to peace, and, more recently, (5) Russia’s Ukraine invasion shows that Japan could be a victim if its use of force is continually restricted. It is then argued that these narratives can be grouped into two broader meta-narratives: the nationalist narrative of escaping the post-war regime and the internationalist narrative of upholding a rules-based international order.