Japan is divided over whether it should amend its Constitution, introducing an emergency clause to give more power to the Cabinet at a time of a major disaster at the risk of restricting people's rights, a recent survey has found.

The mail survey conducted by Kyodo News in March and April, ahead of Constitution Memorial Day on Sunday, targeted some 3,000 people aged 18 and older. It showed 51 percent were supportive of the amendment, while 47 percent were against it.

Academics have pointed out that the ongoing battle against outbreaks of COVID-19 may have led more people to lean toward supporting the amendment. Some members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party have called for an active debate on the clause, which is stipulated in the supreme laws of countries such as France and Germany.