Article 9 of the Japanese constitution known as the No War clause renouces the right of soverignty and the refusal to settle disputes using mililtary force. The official English translation of the article reads:
"ARTICLE 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 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 the state will not be recognized."
The article is somewhat controversial because its origins are conflicted and many believe that it was forced into the japanese constitution by Allied powers after World War II. To me it reads like one of the most honorable, enlightened and civilized principles I have read in the governing laws of a society and its authorship or acceptance is inspiring.
The submission of a nation’s army and war waging capabilities seems unimaginable for America, a nation born out of violence. Cowboys, guns, uniforms, and Manifest Destiny are ingrained in the American identity. But Japan’s history is not so different. Japanese culture emerged in a feudal era governed by a warrior class of samurai. And the Japanese state in the 20th century was characterized by colonialism and militarization. From the Meiji to Showa period Japan extended its rule and force to South Korea, parts of China, and Taiwan similar to US interventions in South America. So maybe we are not so far as we think from Japan in this evolutionary step in foreign policy.
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