A group of lawmakers called Tuesday for the Nobel Committee to award Article 9 of the Constitution this year's Nobel Peace Prize, saying it would greatly encourage Japanese people as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pushes to expand Japan's military capacity.

Speaking at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan, five Diet members from the opposition camp said war-renouncing Article 9 is the ideal charter the whole world has been looking for and perfectly matches the aim of the Nobel Peace Prize: to establish peace.

"Among all of the constitutions in the world, the Japanese Constitution is the only one that specifically indicates the world's citizens' right to live in peace, also saying that the government can't take action to wage a war," said Hiroyuki Konishi, a Democratic Party of Japan lawmaker. "If Japanese people are awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, it will be a great encouragement for Japanese citizens."