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72-675: The ministry was established by the second term of the third article of the National Government Organization Act, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Establishment Act. According to the law, the mission of the ministry is "to aim at improvement of the profits of Japan and Japanese nationals, while contributing to maintenance of peaceful and safe international society, and, through an active and eager measure, both to implement good international environment and to keep and develop harmonic foreign relationships". Under

144-541: A parliamentary system and three branches of government, with the National Diet (legislative), Cabinet led by a Prime Minister (executive), and Supreme Court (judicial) as the highest bodies of power. It guarantees individual rights, including legal equality ; freedom of assembly , association , and speech ; due process ; and fair trial . In contrast to the Meiji Constitution, which invested

216-604: A 'model copy' prepared by MacArthur's command. Ministry of Defense (Japan) The Ministry of Defense ( 防衛省 , Bōei-shō ) is an executive department of the Government of Japan responsible for preserving the peace and independence of Japan , and maintaining the country's national security and the Japan Self-Defense Forces . The ministry is headed by the Minister of Defense , and

288-490: A cabinet meeting on the following day. After Shidehara Cabinet decision, Jōji Matsumoto aimed to draft a Japanese government bill based on the MacArthur Draft, and the draft was completed on 2 March of the same year. On 4 March Jōji Matsumoto presented the draft to Whitney, but GHQ noticed that there were differences between the MacArthur Draft and the 2 March Draft. In particular, the 2 March Draft did not include

360-408: A draft created under his own supervision, which was reviewed and modified by the scholars before its adoption. Also known as the "MacArthur Constitution", "Post-war Constitution" ( 戦後憲法 , Sengo-Kenpō ) , or "Peace Constitution" ( 平和憲法 , Heiwa-Kenpō ) , it is relatively short at 5,000 words, less than a quarter the length of the average national constitution. The constitution provides for

432-478: A greater role in government decision making and as public attitudes on foreign policy issues matured, there were indications that foreign affairs were being conducted on the basis of a more stable consensus. The current Minister for Foreign Affairs is Yōko Kamikawa . The Diplomatic Bluebook ( 外交青書 , Gaikō Seisho ) is an annual report produced by the Ministry outlining the government's foreign policy and assessment of international political trends. The Bluebook

504-471: A highly regarded career. Most career foreign service officers had passed the postwar Higher Foreign Service Examination before entry into the service. Many of these successful examinees were graduates of the prestigious Law Faculty of the University of Tokyo . Almost all ambassadorial appointments since the 1950s have been made from among veteran diplomats. Diplomacy in postwar Japan was not a monopoly of

576-438: A more protectionist stand, evidently because of pressures from special interest groups. The vital importance of foreign affairs expanded to affect virtually every aspect of national life in postwar Japan, and the multiplicity of agencies involved in external affairs continued to be a source of confusion and inefficiency in the formulation of foreign policy. Yet as the postwar generation of leaders and policymakers began to assume

648-614: A preamble, and a heated argument ensued. Finally, adjustments were made by the Japanese government and GHQ, and the draft was completed on 6 March. On 6 March 1946, the government publicly disclosed an outline of the pending Constitution. On 10 April, elections were held for the House of Representatives of the Ninetieth Imperial Diet, which would consider the proposed Constitution. The election law having been changed, this

720-415: A touching-up of the Meiji Constitution". MacArthur rejected them outright and ordered his staff to draft a completely new document. An additional reason for this was that on 24 January 1946, Prime Minister Shidehara had suggested to MacArthur that the new Constitution should contain an article renouncing war. As the momentum for constitutional amendment increased, interest in the constitution increased among

792-539: Is a violation of the Constitution. Article 9. 1)    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 of settling international disputes. 2)   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

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864-425: Is an annual white paper released by Japan's Ministry of Defense. It serves as a comprehensive report on Japan's defense policy, national security, and related matters. The paper is translated from Japanese into both English and Chinese, and released on the Ministry of Defense's website for anyone from the public to read. Digital archives are also provided on their website, going back as far as 2014. The Ministers in

936-602: Is the Prime Minister , who is responsible directly to the National Diet . The MOD, alongside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, work on crafting Japanese security policy. In a national emergency, the Prime Minister is authorized to order the various components of the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) into action, subject to the consent of the Diet. In times of extreme emergency, that approval might be obtained after

1008-546: Is the supreme law of Japan . Written primarily by American civilian officials during the occupation of Japan after World War II , it was adopted on 3 November 1946 and came into effect on 3 May 1947, succeeding the Meiji Constitution of 1889. The constitution consists of a preamble and 103 articles grouped into 11 chapters. It is based on the principles of popular sovereignty , with the Emperor of Japan as

1080-638: Is the chairman of the Joint Staff Council, a body that included the chiefs of staff of the ground, maritime, and air arms of the Self-Defense Forces. Its principal functions are to advise the director general and to plan and execute joint exercises. The three branches maintain staff offices to manage operations in their branches. Although rank establishes echelons of command within the JSDF, all three branches are immediately responsible to

1152-534: Is the largest ministry in the Japanese government. The ministry is headquartered in Ichigaya , Shinjuku , Tokyo , and is required by Article 66 of the Constitution to be completely subordinate to civilian authority . Its head has the rank of Minister of State . He is assisted by two vice ministers, one parliamentary and one administrative; and the internal bureaus. The highest figure in the command structure

1224-521: The 1947 constitution , the cabinet exercises primary responsibility for the conduct of foreign affairs, subject to the overall supervision of the National Diet . The Prime Minister is required to make periodic reports on foreign relations to the Diet, whose upper and lower houses each have a foreign affairs committee. Each committee reports on its deliberations to plenary sessions of the chamber to which it belongs. Ad hoc committees are formed occasionally to consider special questions. Diet members have

1296-1054: The Defense Agency , the Fair Trade Commission , the Japan Export-Import Bank (JEXIM), the Japan External Trade Organization ( JETRO ), the Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund , and the Overseas Technical Cooperation Agency . On many issues affecting the country's foreign economic activities—and thus its diplomatic relations as well—the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and sometimes MITI and the Ministry of Finance were known to favor liberalizing import restrictions. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries and other domestic ministries, however, took

1368-576: The Empire of Japan , propagated during the reign of Emperor Meiji ( r.  1867–1912 ). It provided for a form of mixed constitutional and absolute monarchy , based on the Prussian and British models. In theory, the Emperor of Japan was the supreme leader, and the cabinet, whose prime minister was elected by a privy council , were his followers; in practice, the Emperor was head of state but

1440-593: The Nippon Telegraph and Telephone ) with a microwave network incorporating a three-dimensional transmission system using a communications satellite. Despite efforts to increase stocks, however, supplies of ammunition and maintenance and repair parts in 1990 remained at less than satisfactory levels. In 2004, the Defense Agency building was attacked by a Kakurōkyō cell through improvised mortar barrages. Defense of Japan ( 防衛白書 , Bōei hakusho )

1512-593: The United Kingdom (Prime Minister Winston Churchill ), and the Republic of China (President Chiang Kai-shek ) issued the Potsdam Declaration . The Declaration demanded Japanese military's unconditional surrender , demilitarisation and democratisation . The declaration defined the major goals of the post-surrender Allied occupation : "The Japanese Government shall remove all obstacles to

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1584-467: The Bureau of Equipment, are often headed by officials from other ministries and are the main centers of power and instruments of civilian control in the Defense Agency. The Bureau of Defense Policy is responsible for drafting defense policy and programs, for determining day-to-day operational activities, and for information gathering and analysis in the JSDF. The Bureau of Finance is instrumental in developing

1656-687: The Defense Agency and with one another. In the 1980s, efforts were also underway to facilitate a clear and efficient command policy in the event of a crisis. The government stood by the principle that military action was permitted only under civilian control, but in recognition that delay for consultation might prove dangerous, ships of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) began to be armed with live torpedoes, and fighter-interceptors were allowed to carry missiles at all times. Although aircraft had long been allowed to force down intruders without waiting for permission from

1728-428: The Defense Agency budget and in establishing spending priorities for the Defense Agency and the JSDF. The Bureau of Equipment, organized into subunits for each of the military services, focuses on equipment procurement. Before any major purchase is recommended to the Diet by the Defense Agency, it has to be reviewed by each of these bureaus. Below these civilian groups are the uniformed JSDF personals. Its senior officer

1800-522: The GHQ dignitaries. It is analyzed that it was reflected in the GHQ proposal. The Constitution was mostly drafted by American authors. A few Japanese scholars reviewed and modified it. Much of the drafting was done by two senior army officers with law degrees: Milo Rowell and Courtney Whitney , although others chosen by MacArthur had a large say in the document. The articles about equality between men and women were written by Beate Sirota . MacArthur gave

1872-454: The GHQ headquarters on 4 October 1945. Although the GHQ later denied this fact, citing a mistake by the Japanese interpreter, diplomatic documents between Japan and the U.S. state that "the Constitution must be amended to fully incorporate liberal elements". "At the meeting, the General told Konoe that the Constitution must be amended". In this regard, it can be said that the GHQ granted Konoe

1944-537: The JSDF transportation capabilities are generally judged inadequate. In 1990 legislation was being studied to provide the JSDF with the ability to respond in emergency situations not specifically covered by Article 76 of the Self-Defense Forces Law  [ ja ] . Modern equipment is gradually replacing obsolescent materiel in the JSDF. In 1987, the Defense Agency replaced its communications system (which formerly had relied on telephone lines of

2016-426: The Japanese to allow a bicameral one, with both houses being elected. In most other important respects, the government adopted the ideas embodied in 13 February document in its own draft proposal of 6 March. These included the constitution's most distinctive features: the symbolic role of the Emperor, the prominence of guarantees of civil and human rights, and the renunciation of war. The constitution followed closely

2088-409: The Meiji Constitution, their drafts included the principle of popular sovereignty, which grants sovereignty to the people and regards the Emperor as a symbol of the people. The Constitutional Study Group submitted a draft to the Prime Minister's Office on 26 December 1945. On 2 January 1946, GHQ issued a statement that it would focus on the content. Toyoharu Konishi states that the GHQ may have included

2160-482: The Ministry of Defense are as follows: The Senior Advisers to the Minister of Defense are senior policy advisers to the Minister of Defense. The Special Advisers to the Minister of Defense are special policy advisers to the Minister of Defense. The Administrative Vice-Minister of Defense, the senior civil-servant at the Ministry of Defense, has the role of coordinating the affairs of the Ministry and of supervising

2232-579: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Given the overriding importance of economic factors in foreign relations, the ministry worked closely with the Ministry of Finance on matters of customs, tariffs, international finance, and foreign aid; with the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) on exports and imports; and with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries on questions of foreign agricultural imports and fishing rights. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also consulted other agencies, such as

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2304-584: The Ministry's bureaus and organs. The Chief of Staff, Joint Staff is the highest-ranking military officer of the Japan Self-Defense Forces , and the senior military adviser to the Minister of Defense and the Japanese Government . He is supported by the Vice Chief of Staff, Joint Staff. He is appointed by the Minister of Defense , approved by the Cabinet . The Ministry of Defense includes

2376-543: The Office of the Minister of the Interior was about to be abolished, he decided to submit a proposal for amendment before then. Konoe's proposal reflected the wishes of the GHQ and was very liberal in content, including "limitation of the imperial prerogative," "independent dissolution of the Diet," and "freedom of speech," but it was never finally approved as a draft, and Konoe committed suicide by poisoning himself. After this,

2448-670: The People's New Party representatives. in the House of Representatives and in the House of Councillors. Only the Japanese Communist Party and the Social Democratic Party opposed the change, claiming that it can lead Japan into a future war. Meanwhile, the Asia-Pacific nations raised concerns due to memories of World War II when they were under Japanese imperial rule. The Ministry of Defense

2520-700: The Prime Minister was the actual head of government. Under the Meiji Constitution, the prime minister and his cabinet were not accountable to the elected members of the Imperial Diet , and increasingly deferred to the Imperial Japanese Army in the lead-up to the Second Sino-Japanese War . On 26 July 1945, shortly before the end of World War II , Allied leaders of the United States (President Harry S. Truman ),

2592-584: The Soviet Union, China, Australia and other allies to occupy and control Japan, and its authority was higher than that of GHQ. MacArthur learned that the Far Eastern Commission was interested in constitutional amendment, and thought that constitutional authority could be transferred to the Far Eastern Commission after the commission was established. Therefore, he might be eager to end the constitutional issue with unlimited authority before it

2664-489: The aim of the preceding paragraph," was added to paragraph 2 by Hitoshi Ashida without the diet deliberations. Although the reason is not clear, this addition has led to the interpretation of the Constitution as allowing the retention of force when factors other than the purpose of the preceding paragraph arise. Even now, there is a great debate over whether force for self-defense, such as the Self Defense Forces,

2736-410: The authority to amend the Constitution was completely transferred to Shidehara's cabinet. In late 1945, Shidehara appointed Jōji Matsumoto , state minister without portfolio, head of a blue-ribbon committee of Constitutional scholars to suggest revisions. The Matsumoto Committee was composed of the authorities of the Japanese law academia, including Tatsuki Minobe (美濃部達吉), and the first general meeting

2808-791: The authority to amend the Constitution. However, at this point, the Higashikuninomiya Cabinet was succeeded by the Shidehara Cabinet, and Jōji Matsumoto, the then Minister of State, stated that the Cabinet should be the only one to amend the Constitution, and the Constitutional Problems Investigation Committee was established. In other words, there was a conflict between the Konoe and Shidehara cabinets as to who should take

2880-584: The authors less than a week to complete the draft, which was presented to surprised Japanese officials on 13 February 1946. MacArthur initially had a policy of not interfering with the revision of the Constitution, but from around January 1946, he made a statement to the Constitutional Draft Outline of the Constitutional Study Group and activated movements related to the Constitution. There are various theories as to

2952-471: The basis of a competitive examination and thereafter trained by the ministry's Foreign Service Training Institute. The handling of specific foreign policy issues is usually divided between the geographic and functional bureaus to minimize overlap and competition. In general, bilateral issues are assigned to the geographic bureaus, and multilateral problems to the functional bureaus. The Treaties Bureau, with its wide-ranging responsibilities, tend to get involved in

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3024-491: The bureaus, who most often have no military experience. To rectify this situation and to increase input by the JSDF in policy matters, in the early 1980s the Joint Staff Council was enlarged to establish better lines of communication between the internal bureaus and the three staff offices. A computerized central command and communications system and various tactical command and communications systems were established, linking service and field headquarters with general headquarters at

3096-778: The conditions of the Potsdam Declaration, which necessitates amendments to its Constitution after the surrender. The wording of the Potsdam Declaration—"The Japanese Government shall remove all obstacles ..."—and the initial post-surrender measures taken by MacArthur , suggest that neither he nor his superiors in Washington intended to impose a new political system on Japan unilaterally. Instead, they wished to encourage Japan's new leaders to initiate democratic reforms on their own. But by early 1946, MacArthur's staff and Japanese officials were at odds over

3168-582: The director general and are coequal bodies with the Joint Staff Council and the three staff offices. This structure precludes the concentration of power of the pre-1945 Imperial General Staff (and the Supreme War Council ) general staffs, but it impedes interservice coordination, and there are few formal exchanges among commanders from various branches. Moreover, some dissatisfaction has been reported by high-ranking officers who feel they have little power compared with younger civilian officials in

3240-443: The dominant figure in the political system, the Prime Minister has the final word in major foreign policy decisions. The Minister for Foreign Affairs, a member of the cabinet, acts as the Prime Minister's chief adviser in matters of planning and implementation. The Minister is assisted by two vice ministers: one in charge of administration, who was at the apex of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs structure as its senior career official, and

3312-467: The emperor with supreme political power, under the 1946 constitution his role in the system of constitutional monarchy is reduced to "the symbol of the State and of the unity of the people", and he exercises only a ceremonial role under popular sovereignty. Article 9 of the constitution renounces Japan's right to wage war and to maintain military forces. Despite this, it retains a de facto military in

3384-585: The fact. Their activities are regulated under the Ministry of Defense Establishment Law ( 防衛省設置法 , Bōeishōsetchihō ) . On 8 June 2006, the Cabinet of Japan endorsed a bill elevating the Defense Agency ( 防衛庁 , Bōei-chō ) under the Cabinet Office to full-fledged cabinet-level Ministry of Defense ( 防衛省 , Bōei-shō ) . On 9 June 2006, the "Bill for Partial Revision of the Defense Agency Establishment Law"

3456-552: The form of the Self-Defense Forces and hosts a substantial U.S. military presence . Amendments to the constitution require a two-thirds vote in both houses of the National Diet and approval in a referendum , and despite the efforts of conservative and nationalist forces to revise Article 9 in particular, it remains the world's oldest un-amended constitution. The Meiji Constitution was the fundamental law of

3528-574: The freely expressed will of the Japanese people a peacefully inclined and responsible government" (Section 12). The Allies sought not merely punishment or reparations from a militaristic foe, but fundamental changes in the nature of its political system. In the words of a political scientist Robert E. Ward : "The occupation was perhaps the single most exhaustively planned operation of massive and externally directed political change in world history." The Japanese government, Prime Minister Kantarō Suzuki 's administration and Emperor Hirohito accepted

3600-403: The initiative in constitutional amendment. However, this conflict ended with Konoe being nominated as a candidate for Class A war criminal due to domestic and international criticism. To begin with, Konoe was able to have the initiative to amend the Constitution because he had been assigned full-time by the GHQ to amend the constitution, although he was not an unappointed minister when the cabinet

3672-550: The main gate. The Japanese Defense Agency was established on 1 July 1954. Until May 2000, it was based in Akasaka (currently occupied by Tokyo Midtown ). The JDA was placed under the authority of the Prime Minister's Office under Article 2 of the Defense Agency Establishment Law before it was placed under the Cabinet Office in 2001. The internal bureaus, especially the Bureau of Defense Policy, Bureau of Finance, and

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3744-444: The most fundamental issue, the writing of a new Constitution. Emperor Hirohito , Prime Minister Kijūrō Shidehara , and most of the cabinet members were extremely reluctant to take the drastic step of replacing the 1889 Meiji Constitution with a more liberal document. Former prime minister Fumimaro Konoe , Shidehara Cabinet and the civil constitutional study groups formed original constitutions. The formal draft constitution, which

3816-489: The opinion of the Constitutional Study Group in the draft, reflecting the situation in the United States, where people disregarded popular sovereignty at that time. Also, regarding the symbolic emperor system, since the members of the Constitutional Study Group came into contact with the GHQ dignitaries earlier than the drafting of the guidelines, the Constitutional Study Group proposed the symbolic emperor system through

3888-404: The other in charge of political liaison with the Diet. Other key positions in the ministry include members of the ministry's Secretariat, which has divisions handling consular, emigration, communications, and cultural exchange functions, and the directors of the various regional and functional bureaus in the ministry. The ministry's staff includes an elite career foreign service corps, recruited on

3960-506: The people. In fact, not only political parties but also private organizations have announced draft constitutional amendments. The most famous of these is the outline of the draft constitution by the Constitution Study Group. The Constitutional Study Group was established on 29 October 1945 to study and prepare for the establishment of the Constitution from a leftist approach. While many political party drafts only added to

4032-454: The prime minister, ships were still required to receive specific orders before interdicting invading vessels. The Defense Agency had recommended drawing up more complete guidelines to clarify what action JSDF combat units could take in emergencies. Cooperation between the JSDF and other civilian agencies in contingency planning is limited. No plans exist to ensure the support of civilian aircraft and merchant fleets in times of crisis, even though

4104-632: The reason. Kenzo Yanagi mentioned the memorandum of Courtney Whitney, who was the director of the Civil Affairs Bureau of the General Headquarters, on 1 February 1946 as a reason for the attitude change. In the memorandum, it is mentioned that the Far Eastern Commission was about to be established. The Far Eastern Commission is the supreme policy-making body established by the United States, Great Britain,

4176-458: The revival and strengthening of democratic tendencies among the Japanese people. Freedom of speech , of religion , and of thought , as well as respect for the fundamental human rights shall be established" (Section 10). In addition, "The occupying forces of the Allies shall be withdrawn from Japan as soon as these objectives have been accomplished and there has been established in accordance with

4248-401: The right to raise pertinent policy questions—officially termed interpellations—to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Prime Minister. Treaties with foreign countries require ratification by the Diet. As head of state, the Emperor performs the ceremonial function of receiving foreign envoys and attesting to foreign treaties ratified by the Diet. As the chief executive and constitutionally

4320-455: The state will not be recognized. Unlike most previous Japanese legal documents, the constitution is written in modern colloquial Japanese instead of Classical Japanese . The Japanese version includes some awkward phrasing and scholars sometimes consult the English drafts to resolve ambiguities. The MacArthur draft, which proposed a unicameral legislature, was changed at the insistence of

4392-614: The subordination of the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers". Koseki interprets this statement as the GHQ's indirect rule through the Emperor and the Japanese government, rather than direct rule over the Japanese people. In other words, GHQ regarded the Emperor Hirohito not as a war criminal parallel to Hitler and Mussolini but as one governance mechanism. The Japanese government at the end of World War II

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4464-577: The symbol of the state; pacifism and the renunciation of war; and individual rights . Upon the surrender of Japan at the end of the war in 1945, Japan was occupied and U.S. General Douglas MacArthur , the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers , directed prime minister Kijūrō Shidehara to draft a new constitution. Shidehara created a committee of Japanese scholars for the task, but MacArthur reversed course in February 1946 and presented

4536-710: The whole spectrum of issues. The Information Analysis, Research, and Planning Bureau engages in comprehensive and coordinated policy investigation and planning. Long a profession of high social prestige, diplomatic service from the Meiji period through World War II was a preserve of the upper social strata. In addition to formal qualifications, important prewar requirements for admission were proper social origin, family connections, and graduation from Tokyo Imperial University (the present-day University of Tokyo ). After World War II, these requirements were changed as part of democratic reform measures but foreign service continued to be

4608-485: Was changed. However, due to domestic and foreign criticism of Konoe, the GHQ announced on 1 November that Konoe had not been appointed to amend the Constitution and that he had no authority to lead the amendment of the constitution since the cabinet had changed. At that time, Konoe belonged to the Office of the Minister of the Interior, which was in charge of politics related to the Imperial Household, but since

4680-493: Was created by the Shidehara Cabinet, was rejected by GHQ and the government reviewed the revised drafts by various political parties and accepted liberal ways of thinking especially toward the emperor as the symbol of nationals and dispossession of a military power. After World War II, the Allied Powers concluded an "Instrument of Surrender" with Japan, which stated that "the Emperor and the Government of Japan shall come under

4752-1021: Was first issued in 1957. The report can trigger reactions from other countries upset with relevant Japanese policy. For instance, the omission of the phrase "South Korea is our most important neighbor" and the addition of "South Korea's occupation of [the Liancourt Rocks ] is illegal" in the 2018 Bluebook caused significant controversy with the South Korean government. 35°40′26″N 139°44′56″E  /  35.674°N 139.749°E  / 35.674; 139.749 Constitution of Japan Naruhito [REDACTED] Fumihito [REDACTED] Shigeru Ishiba ( LDP ) Second Ishiba Cabinet ( LDP – Komeito coalition ) [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Fukushiro Nukaga Kōichirō Genba [REDACTED] Masakazu Sekiguchi Hiroyuki Nagahama Saburo Tokura Kazuo Ueda The Constitution of Japan

4824-411: Was formally established on 9 January 2007, taking its present name and status as a ministry. Subsequently, its Defense Facilities Administrative Agency was dissolved and integrated into the Ministry of Defense. In July 2007, the Ministry of Defense Building was attacked by a 21-year-old right-wing activist , who threw a Molotov cocktail in the direction of the building, after forcing his way through

4896-527: Was founded. On 18 February, the Japanese government called on the GHQ to reconsider the MacArthur Draft, which is significantly different from the Matsumoto Draft, but Whitney rejected the proposal on 20 February. On the contrary, he asked the Japanese government for a reply within 48 hours. Then, Prime Minister Shidehara met with MacArthur on 21 February and decided to accept the MacArthur draft by

4968-576: Was held on 27 October 1945. Jōji Matsumoto presented the following four principles of constitutional amendment to the Budget Committee of the House of Representatives in 1945. Four principles of constitutional amendment The Matsumoto Committee has prepared a constitutional amendment outline based on these principles. The Matsumoto Commission's recommendations ( ja:松本試案 ), made public in February 1946, were quite conservative as "no more than

5040-494: Was organized by Higashikuni Cabinet (Prime Minister Prince Naruhiko Higashikuni ), with Fumimaro Konoe , who had served as the prime minister during the Manchurian Incident in 1931, as a minister without portfolio. The trigger of constitutional amendment was from GHQ General MacArthur's word to Fumimaro Konoe. After an unsuccessful first visit on 13 September 1945, Fumimaro Konoe paid another visit to MacArthur at

5112-419: Was submitted in the Diet. On 30 November 2006, the "Bill for Partial Revision of the Defense Agency Establishment Law" was passed by the House of Representatives. A bill that relates to the transition of the JDA from agency to a ministry under the Defense Agency Establishment Law on 15 December 2006 with approval from the House of Councillors. This had support from the LDP, Democratic Party of Japan, Komeito and

5184-703: Was the first general election in Japan in which women were permitted to vote . In the process of passing through the House of Representatives in August 1946, the draft of the Constitutional Amendment was modified. This is called the Ashida Amendment, since the chairman of the committee at the time was Hitoshi Ashida. In particular, Article 9, which refers to the renunciation of armed forces, was controversial. The phrase "In order to accomplish

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