By Hiroaki Konno

More than 70 percent of both the members of the House of the Representatives and the House of the Councilors support changing Article 9 of the Constitution. This is because they are exceedingly sensitive to phrases like "international cooperation" and "US-Japan alliance" that seem to play a part in Japan's role in helping the world. One result of this support is the Cabinet's decision to postpone for a year the recall of the Self Defense Forces from Iraq. Of course, as a member of the International Community, Japan's activities often change in accordance to the changing conditions of the world. And now is a time of great change. But there is an important consideration first. It is Japan's commitment to pacifism since being defeated in WW��. We never hear of politicians debating the continuation of Japan's pacifism, but we often hear talk of reforming the Constitution. It is clear that the politicians want to change the Constitution in the face of great changes in the world.

The Japan's pacifism is an invaluable product reflecting the Japanese will for peace which comes from the experiences of WW��, including the tragedies of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But now the majority of Japanese have no first hand experience of war and don't notice the importance of pacifism. Therefore, the reasons why politicians try to change the Constitution are understandable. But the lamentable point is that the Japanese people think the Constitution of Japan, which is often called the Peace Constitution, is unimportant because they are not aware of the peace in their lives. The Peace Constitution has been confronting human's negative behavior by reminding the Japanese and the world of the dangers of war, and reminding us of the destructiveness of the A-bomb. There is no other constitution that is clearly against war except for Japan's. But now the Japanese people don't think about the Peace Constitution because they have failed to learn the meaning of peace from the older generation. The more Japan has grown rich since being defeated in WW��, the more Japan has forgotten to consider the meaning of peace. This influence can be seen in school textbooks which mention the history of the war incorrectly.

There are some negative consequences of the high economic level of Japanese society. For example, there is high level corruption, telephone fraud, counterfeit banknotes, the stealing of the credit card ID numbers, and so on. These deeds always cause distrust in people's minds. It is a fact that relationships between people are fading faster than ever. Good relationships are the only means to foster trust in people's minds and in society, including schools and the office. Japanese society now tends to pursue profit by improving expertise in specialized fields for increased efficiency. Therefore, people tend to have a narrow viewpoint on everything. Japanese society should pursue humanity rather than profit.

As for the relationship between the politicians and the Constitution, they seem to manipulate the Constitution for national profit, which is led by the US-Japan alliance. And there is a dispute about Japan becoming a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council. The right wing, which has political clout, seems to lead Japan in this direction. But before that, the Japanese government should think about Japan's pacifism. And of course the Japanese people who are protected by the Peace Constitution should, too. Is Japan, even without war, a peaceful nation? Japan is not truly a peaceful nation unless the Japanese people understand the importance of the Peace Constitution and teach pacifism to the younger generations.