The Nobel Prize Committee has officially nominated war-renouncing Article 9 of the Constitution as a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize, a civic group said Friday.

The executive committee of the civic group, whose name translates roughly as Nobel Peace Prize for Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution, promoted the campaign over the Internet. In response, 13 advocates and one organization sent a recommendation to the Nobel Institute in Norway.

The institute informed the group, based in Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Wednesday evening it has officially accepted the recommendation, according to the group.

The winner of the peace prize will be announced Oct. 10.

Article 9 of the Constitution, drafted during the Allied Occupation, stipulates that Japan forever renounces war, noting, "Land, sea and air forces as well as other war potential will never be maintained."

"Calls are growing domestically that Japan should be allowed to exercise the right to collective self-defense, and pacifism faces a huge danger," 72-year-old Yoshiaki Ishigaki, co-representative of the group, said. "We hope to make an appeal for the magnificence of Article 9 at home and abroad."