I started this walk with little information about how Article Nine in the Japanese Constitution was under attack. But since my immersion in the Japanese peace movement I have learned a lot!

Art. 9 Aspiring sincerely to an international peace based on justice and order, the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means to settle international disputes.

In order to accomplish the aim of the preceding paragraph, land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained. The right of belligerency of the state will not be recognized.

This is the Constitution as it presently stands but the majority of lawmakers in Japan want to rewrite the constitution eliminating the second paragraph of Article Nine. This would give the Japanese Gov`t an opening to increase the military budget and create an armed force designed for aggression.

Right now the Japanese Security Defense Force is being used in Iraq because of pressure from the United States. The U.S. and Japanese Gov`t have justified this under part of the constitution which says that Japan can defend itself and it's allies against terrorist attacks, but we all know that Iraq had nothing to do with the September 11th attacks. It seems to me that a bunch of loose connections are being used to pressure Japan to use its Security Defense Force improperly.

http://thepeacewalk.com