Thousands of people gathered Thursday in Tokyo's Hibiya Park to mark the 60th anniversary of the Constitution and to oppose moves by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his ruling Liberal Democratic Party to amend it and its war-renouncing Article 9.
"Some people say the Constitution is outdated and Article 9 is powerless, but I believe Article 9 has a tremendous influence" on keeping Japan peaceful, Mizuho Fukushima, leader of the Social Democratic Party, told the park gathering, organized by civic groups hoping to protect the nation's charter.
The LDP unveiled a draft of a new Constitution in 2005, with Article 9 recognizing the Self-Defense Forces as a legitimate military that would be allowed to take part in international missions to maintain peace. Article 9 at present prohibits Japan from possessing a military, even though it does, and renounces the use of force as a means of settling international disputes.