Japan's Article 9, is it for US too?

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Sawaram Narita, Chiba, Buddhist Shrine. Paschen Photos. | Photo 08

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Japan’s Constitution was a bold experiment on the part of the office of “Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers.” It holds many of the ideals that are present in the US constitution with one major exception: Article 9, which upholds the bold ideal of renouncing war and the use of force between nations. After 50+ years, it stands as source of pride for the Japanese people, especially in contrast to the activities of the United States. The support for Article 9 has been shaken many times, even by the US in the war in Afghanistan and Iraq. However, the world would be much better off if every nation could adopt its own version of Article 9.

This would not be the end of war, but would end its justification by politicians and diplomats. Bush 41 and Bush 43 could not have dragged the US into the quagmire that is the Middle East if this were the case. Not to mention the Korea, Vietnam and countless other examples. This is merely a “what if” scenario, but if only the US had not gone to war or used force to negotiate between nations after the conclusion of WWII, the world would be a radically different place, and on the basis of current events, a much better and safer place.

If this is too idealistic for you, how about Japan’s “three nonnuclear principles of not producing, possessing or allowing nuclear weapons.” Can you even imagine the resources that would have been freed up and environmental damage that would have been averted if the US adopted these principles following WWII? It is staggering how much damage the US military machine has done and continually does to the environment with no end in sight.

TOKYO, April 23 (AP) - (Kyodo)—More than 60 percent of Japanese high school students surveyed are opposed to changing the war-renouncing Article 9 of the country's Constitution, up from 43.9 percent in a previous survey in a labor union of high school teachers said Thursday.

Among respondents who said Article 9 should be left unchanged, 73.2 percent cited as reasons that a revision "could open the way to war," while 14.0 percent said, "Article 9 is something (Japan should) boast about to the world."

Article 9 stipulates "the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as a means of settling international disputes."

The latest survey also showed that 84.1 percent of the students deemed it necessary for Japan to uphold its three nonnuclear principles of not producing, possessing or allowing nuclear weapons on Japanese soil.

Source: breitbart.com