Japan Press Weekly

Tweet

2008 April 9 - 15 [CIVIL RIGHTS]

More people say 'no' to constitutional revision than 'yes'

In an opinion poll conducted recently by one of Japan’s major dailies Yomiuri Shimbun, more people expressed opposition to constitutional revision than support it for the first time in 15 years.

The daily on April 8 reported that 43.1 percent of the respondents supported keeping the Constitution as is, up 4 points from the previous year, while 42.5 percent backed revision, down 3.7 points from the previous year.

Concerning Article 9, support has always been greater than opposition in the Yomiuri survey that began in 1981. But when it comes to the Constitution in general, “support” for revision has always been higher than “opposition” since 1993. In the 2004 survey, the “support” rate topped 65 percent.

But since the year after the founding of the Article 9 Association in 2004, “opposition” to constitutional revision began to rise in the Yomiuri survey.

Kawamura Toshio, secretary general of the Liaison Council of Various Circles for Prevention of Mal-Revision of the Constitution, said that the recent findings are “proof of the powerful development of the grassroots movement.”

He said, “More and more people are realizing that the advocates of constitutional revision are trying not only to give the Self-Defense Forces constitutionality but also to turn Japan into a country that wages wars outside of the country.”

“While constitutional revision advocates are planning to launch a nationwide campaign in opposition to the Article 9 Association, it is more important than ever to strengthen the grassroots effort in places of work, communities, and schools in defense of the Constitution in order to influence the public,” Kawamura said.
- Akahata, April 9, 2008