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EDITORIALS
May 16, 2014

Abe takes aim at Article 9

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says he will try to change a long-standing constitutional interpretation so that Japan can exercise the right to 'collective self-defense.' His move would gut the war-renouncing Article 9 of the Constitution without going through the amendment procedure.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 14, 2018

Article 9 revision seen as politically risky amid Moritomo scandal

The outlook for ruling Liberal Democratic Party's deliberations on how best to amend the Constitution is now in doubt, with the Cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe having been rocked by a scandal involving falsification of official documents, senior lawmakers suggested Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
May 15, 2014

Panel lists steps for bypassing Article 9

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's security panel proposes revising Japan's interpretation of the Constitution to circumvent Article 9 and risk war in the name of collective self-defense.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 6, 2012

LDP's dangerous proposals for amending antiwar article

The Liberal Democratic Party published its new draft constitutional amendment proposal in late April. The draft reflects a number of significant changes above and beyond those advanced in the proposal unveiled by the LDP in 2005. The proposal includes a complete overhaul of Article 9, the war-renouncing...
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 4, 2012

Why Japan should amend its war-renouncing Article 9

The pressure is mounting to either amend Article 9, the war-renouncing provision of Japan's Constitution, or to increasingly disregard it and so make it irrelevant. In April the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) published its proposal for amending the Constitution, and the dangers it posed for Article 9...
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Oct 16, 2020

Twitter changes course on New York Post article after Republicans claim ‘election interference’

On Thursday, simmering discontent among Republicans over the power that Facebook and Twitter wield over public discourse erupted into open acrimony.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 5, 2019

The danger in Abe's constitutional amendment proposal

If there is to be any amendment to the Constitution, the substance of the Abe Cabinet's 2014 reinterpretation of Article 9 to allow collective self-defense should be made part of the proposal or withdrawn entirely.
COMMENTARY
Dec 24, 2007

Article 9 fan club quickens

Momentum for constitutional amendments, which grew under the administrations of former Prime Ministers Junichiro Koizumi and Shinzo Abe, has diminished following the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's drubbing in the July 29 Upper House election and pro-amendment Abe's surprise resignation in September....
EDITORIALS
May 8, 2015

Honor the current Constitution

Amid the current effort to rewrite the Constitution, Japan should remember how well it has served the nation these past seven decades.
JAPAN
Jun 29, 2013

Abe wants to gut public protections: expert

If the Liberal Democratic Party succeeds in rewriting the Constitution, it would severely scale back fundamental human rights and strip the public of various civil liberties, a prominent constitutional scholar warns.
JAPAN
Dec 11, 2004

Film depicts Japan's gender equality strife

A documentary film about an American woman's struggle to achieve gender equality in postwar Japan, sponsored and made by Japanese women, is set to be released next April.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 17, 2018

Setting himself apart from Abe, Shigeru Ishiba says he's opposed to Article 9 revision for now

Ishiba is set to challenge Abe in September's LDP presidential election, with the Constitution issue likely to be a focus of policy debates.
JAPAN / Politics
May 15, 2017

Abe's refusal to clarify Article 9 proposal worries opposition

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's recent proposal to revise the Constitution's war-renouncing Article 9 has sparked debate, anxiety and speculation.
EDITORIALS
May 3, 2017

The Constitution turns 70

The Constitution should not be amended just to fulfill the agendas of politicians or political parties.
EDITORIALS
Jun 25, 2017

The LDP's rush to revise the Constitution

Abe is pushing for constitutional revision while he has the political strength, instead of trying to build a consensus with other forces through convincing arguments.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
May 13, 2017

Japan's constitutional rebirth or reincarnation?

The stakes are high as the Japanese people consider Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's backward-looking vision for the future.
Reader Mail
Jun 10, 2012

Scuttle useless Article 9

Regarding Craig Martin's June 6 article, "LDP's dangerous proposals for amending antiwar article": Article 9 of Japan's Constitution has never protected anyone. There are plenty of people who go on about how important Article 9 is, but I think these people are either lying or willfully ignorant.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 5, 2008

The fatal flaw in trying to impose a new interpretation on Article 9

The report of the "Panel on the Reconstruction of the National Security Legal Foundation," commonly known as the Yanai Report, argues that a reinterpretation of Article 9 of the Constitution is necessary to permit Japan to participate in collective self-defense and collective security operations. Both...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Aug 7, 2008

Making art out of Article 9

Perhaps there are two types of Japanese people: those who stay in Japan, and those who leave for foreign shores. Distance means the two rarely interact, and it's just as well, because the results can be fiery.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Nov 21, 2015

Split clears a path for Constitution revisionists

The National Society to Create a Constitution for a Beautiful Japan met at the Budokan on Nov. 10 to listen to speakers advocate for a new national charter. One was Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who addressed the rally via a prerecorded video.
JAPAN / Society
Jan 9, 2019

Colleges named in Japan tabloid's list of schools with 'easy girls' condemn article as misogynistic

The fallout over an article in a tabloid magazine ranking colleges according to the promiscuity of their female students after drinking intensified Wednesday, with all institutions named in the article accusing the publication of sexism.
A peace rally on Constitution Memorial Day in Tokyo on May 3. Japan’s identity as a pacifist nation is shifting as the government strengthens its military, but many don’t agree with the policy.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 27, 2024

Government and society are at odds on national security

Tokyo posits itself as a mutual defense ally of the U.S., but polls show that while the public wants a stronger military, changes should align with the peace Constitution.
According to Hitoshi Matsumoto’s lawyer, he is suing Bungei Shunju, the publisher of the Shukan Bunshun weekly magazine over an article that was published in the magazine and online on Dec. 27.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 23, 2024

Comedian Hitoshi Matsumoto sues publisher over sexual assault article

The Downtown member is suing Bungei Shunju, the publisher of the Shukan Bunshun weekly magazine, for defamation.
A packed Fuji TV news conference on Monday in Tokyo
JAPAN / Media
Jan 29, 2025

Shukan Bunshun corrects article on scandal over former Fuji TV host

According to the correction, Masahiro Nakai was the one who invited the woman to the gathering, not the Fuji TV official.

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami