TOKYO, July 14 (Xinhua) -- Dozens of representatives from Japan's political, academic and legal circles gathered at the Second Members' Office Building of the House of Representatives in Tokyo on Monday evening to oppose a series of recent moves by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to push for constitutional revision.
They warned that such moves would put Japan on a dangerous path toward becoming "a war-waging nation" and called for concerted efforts across society to defend the pacifist constitution.
Mizuho Fukushima, leader of Japan's Social Democratic Party, said at the gathering that Japan's pacifist constitution has long played an important role in preventing the country from being drawn into war or armed conflict.
She said the LDP's attempt to write the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) into the constitution is ultimately aimed at enabling the SDF to take part in wars around the world, and called on all sectors of society to work together to stop this.
Japan's current constitution, which took effect in 1947, contains the famous Article 9, under which the country renounces war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes.
The article also stipulates that Japan will not maintain land, sea, or air forces or other war potential, and the right of belligerency of the state will not be recognized, leading the constitution to be widely known as the "pacifist constitution."
Masahiko Shimizu, a professor at Nippon Sport Science University and a veteran constitutional scholar, told Xinhua that opinion polls show only a small minority of Japanese support constitutional revision, with the vast majority instead wanting the government to prioritize economic and livelihood issues.
He said Japan's current constitution was formulated out of reflection on the country's wars of aggression, and that if the SDF is written into the supreme law, the SDF could end up fully exercising the right of collective self-defense, which must never be allowed.
Ryuuichi Ozawa, professor emeritus at the Jikei University School of Medicine in Tokyo, said the LDP's claim that writing the SDF into the constitution would not change the status quo is untenable, since doing so could potentially change the SDF's legal status and related authority.
A citizen representative said at the gathering that the LDP's attempt to revise Article 9 of the constitution and remove restrictions on the SDF is a dangerous step toward turning Japan into "a war-waging nation." He said Japan should pursue national security not through military means, but by fostering mutual trust with neighboring countries and thereby earning the trust of the international community.
The gathering also voiced opposition to a bill to revise the law on referendums for amending the constitution, which is expected to be put to a vote in the House of Councillors soon.
Japanese media widely view the bill as an important step in the LDP's push to advance constitutional revision. The bill cleared the House of Representatives in June.
Hiroyuki Konishi, an upper house lawmaker from the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, said the biggest problem with the bill is that it fails to impose necessary restrictions on television or online advertising during referendum campaigns, which could allow a well-funded side to sway or even manipulate public opinion.
He pointed out that pro-constitutional amendment forces in the Diet, Japan's parliament, have been floating "absurd and baseless" arguments to build momentum for constitutional revision, and stressed that those opposed to revision must keep fighting to the end. ■