The Renunciation of War In the Japanese Constitution

Abstract

Japan's postwar constitution renounces not only war but also military forces. It was hoped that this unique "peace constitution" would protect both the Japanese people and their peace-loving neighbors from the horrors of war. Although Japan maintains "self-defense forces," has the world's eighth-largest military budget, and permits the United States to maintain military bases on her soil, she has not been directly involved in wars since 1945. Gen. Douglas MacArthur and some Japanese pacifists have urged that all the world's nations follow Japan's lead and outlaw war and arms in their constitutions to bring about the global "abolition of war." However, no other countries have done so. Instead, wars in Asia have been more frequent and have involved many more countries (most of them newly independent) in the 40 years since 1946 than during the four decades previous.