Japan Press Weekly

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2014 February 12 - 18 [POLITICS]

829 public figures sign appeal protesting against collective self-defense right

As of February 14, 829 public figures, including academics, religious figures, actors, film directors, singers, and sports figures, have signed an appeal published last October by the Article 9 Association in protest against Japan’s exercise of the right to collective self-defense.

The association’s secretary general, University of Tokyo Professor Komori Yoichi announced this at a press conference held in the Diet building on February 14.

Prime Minister Abe Shinzo two days earlier mentioned that he will be able to change constitutional interpretations so that Japan can use the right to collective self-defense if his political party wins the election. During the day’s Diet session, Abe actually said “I am the highest officer in the government. I will take government’s statements upon me, and then we (his government) will receive a public verdict in the election.”

The Article 9 Association criticizes this remark as “fundamentally denying the principle of constitutionalism in which the Constitution puts restrictions on the use of power”.

Komori at the press conference called on all Article 9 Associations throughout Japan to further increase the movement to oppose Abe’s aspiration to enable Japan to use the right to collective self-defense in order to remake Japan into a war-fighting nation.