Religion, Politics, And Constitutional Reform in Japan: How the Soka Gakkai and Komeito have Thwarted Conservative Attempts to Revise the 1947 Constitution‪.‬

Ever since the United States wrote a very liberal constitution for Japan in 1947, during the aftermath of World War II, conservative politicians have sought to amend the document. Their chief target is the so-called Peace Clause, Article 9, which prohibits Japan from actively waging war. Conservatives assert that Japan, as a major world power, should be able to have its own military. Until recently, however, the conservative ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has lacked the two-thirds vote necessary to amend the constitution; but the decline of progressive parties has encouraged the LDP to seek constitutional reform. Although the LDP's coalition partner, the Buddhist Soka Gakkai-backed Komeito, has modified its sponsor's support for "absolute pacifism," the party's strong support for Article 9 has thwarted the LDP's plans for constitutional reform. This development signals the important role that some of Japan's new religions play in maintaining Japanese pacifism. Conservatives, Moderates, Liberals, Religious Organizations & Japan's Constitution