As the government moves toward expanding the nation's security capacities, voices continue to be raised demanding that the country adhere to the ideals of its pacifist Constitution.
Since nine influential people, including Nobel Prize-winning author Kenzaburo Oe, gathered 10 years ago to draw attention to the significance of the war-renouncing Article 9 of the Constitution, more than 7,000 like-minded groups have sprung up nationwide.
"We have called on people during the past 10 years to share the importance of the pacifist clause with those around them in their communities or at their workplaces," said Yoichi Komori, who serves as secretary-general of the Article 9 Association, founded by the nine.