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2019
Implications of Revision of Article 9 of the Constitution of Japan Implications of Revision of Article 9 of the Constitution of Japan
on the Defense Policy of Japan on the Defense Policy of Japan
Hideshi Tokuchi
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84 COLUMBIA JOURNAL OF ASIAN LAW [Vol. 33:84
IMPLICATIONS OF REVISION OF ARTICLE 9 OF THE
CONSTITUTION OF JAPAN
ON THE DEFENSE POLICY OF JAPAN
Hideshi Tokuchi1
I. INTRODUCTION
O Decebe 20, 2018, a P-1 a aicaf f Jaa
Maiie Defee Fce a fig ihi Jaa' ecie ecic
e (EEZ) i he Sea f Jaa a a f dia ieigece ceci
ad aig ad eiace aciiie he i beed a dee,
ad a a ad ece ee f he Rebic f Kea (Sh Kea).
Whie hgahig he Kea ee, he Jaaee P-1 a
aicaf a dde iadiaed b a fie-c ada f he Kea
dee.2 A ce ebe f he P-1 aicaf ied  cicae ih
he Kea hi i Egih, aig, Thi i Jaa Na. Thi i Jaa
Na. FC aea i dieced  . Wha i he e f hi ac?3
Thee i hig g f he ce  ideif heee a
Jaa Na i hi kid f cicai. B hi icide eided
he Jaaee bic ieig he ide, eeaed b he Mii f
Defee a he ed f 2018, ha hee eied a ga beee he eai
ad he ciia eiee.4 Jaa ha i aed fce hie
Aice 9 f he Cii hibi ad, ea, ad ai fce, a e
a he a eia.
Sice i ceai, JaaMaiie Defee Fce ha ked
ike a a becae, i e ad ii i he defee f Jaa a ea.
Tha i eac ha a a de. Tda, i i e  ha ee befe.
Siia, he he  eice a k ike iia fce. The
Gd Defee Fce k ike a a ad he Ai Defee Fce
1 Viiig Pfe, Naia Gadae Iie f Pic Sdie (GRIPS)
2 Ministry of Defense, Regarding the incident of an ROK naval vessel directing its
fire-control radar at an MSDF patrol aircraft, http://www.mod.go.jp/j/approach/defe
nse/radar/index_eng.html.
3 Ministry of Defense, Regarding the incident of an ROK naval vessel directing its
fire-control radar at an MSDF patrol aircraft, (Dec. 28, 2018), http://www.mod.go.jp/
e/press/release/2018/12/28z.html.
4 「󱼛󲖌󳎻の名、実態と合ってない？ 󰹒󱬋では「󰌖󰑝󰪨󲯾」」[Does the
name of the Self-Defense Forces represent the realit? Japan Na in the radio
communication],『󰑎󰌖󰋡󱶏』[ASAHI SHIMBUN] (Feb. 5, 2019), https://www.asahi.c
om/articles/ASM1C4QNPM1CUTIL01T.html?iref=pc_ss_date.
2019] IMPLICATIONS OF REVISION OF ARTICLE 9 85
k ike a aifce. Tbe ecie, hei fficia Egih ae ae
 Defee Fce b Sef-Defee Fce. O heaig he fficia
ae Sef-Defee Fce, e a de if hei ii i
cfied  defedig heee. The h cied he Egih ae
 hae ied  ehaie he Jaaee fce aed b he
Jaaee Cii ae diffee f dia aed fce i he
cie. Aice 9 f he Cii eici hibiad, ea,
ad ai fce, ad heefe he had  aid he d ch a a,
a ad ai fce.
I he Cd Wa ea, he cfai beee he igh ad
he ef i he Jaaee iic efeced he gba Ea-We bia
cfai. Thee a igificaiica ce a ha ie
e he ciiai f he Sef-Defee Fce. Hee, a
eie f ee ch a he ed f he Cd Wa  he gba aea, he
eabihe f a gee de a ciai eade Maaa i
Jaa i he 1990, ad he eace f egiai  dea ih
cigecie5 i 2003 ih he aa b he age aji i he
Jaaee Naia Die ee  hae gea cibed 
ciia egiiiai f he Jaaee iia. Thee ae 
ea f hi. Fi, i he 1990 he he Sciai k e a
a f a caii ih e ceaie iica aie, he cd
 abih he iia i accdace ih hei ieeai f he
Cii. Th, he had  acce he ciia egiiac f
he Jaaee iia. Secd, e f he e f he egiai 
dea ih cigeciei  ee h eai f he Jaaee
iia he Jaa i aacked, ad heefe he h beiee ha
he Jaaee iia i ciia cd  hae aed he
egiai.
Nehee, Abe Cabiedecii  chage he g-hed
ieeai f he Cii ih egad  e f fce i 2014 ad
bee egiai   he eieeai i effec heed
egece f he d ce  he ciiai f he
Jaaee iia. A he Abe Cabie e ieeai ade i
ciia  eecie he ighf cecie ef-defee, deaig
f he ei ieeai, ii aie ciicied he
decii b iig he iciec f he ieeai. I he
ce f ch iicadebae, he ii aie eeaed ied
 caif he cabieieeai f he Cii ih egad 
e f fce ad a he defee fce.
5 󰢗力攻撃事態対処󰨆 [Legislation for Responses to Armed Attack Situations],
https://www.cas.go.jp/jp/hourei/houritu/jitai_h.html.
86 COLUMBIA JOURNAL OF ASIAN LAW [Vol. 33:84
The e jec f he Maiie Defee Fce  dif
I ca dee  aicaf caie i accdace ih he e
NaiaDefee Pga Gideie (NDPG) ad he e Medi-
Te Defee Pga (MTDP) f Decebe 2018 ee  hae
feed he ce fhe. Ahgh hi dificai jec i 
eceai a highigh f he e eabihed defee fce bid-
ga, i becae a age f ciici b ii aie becae
he Jaaee Gee had aiaied f a g ie ha aack
aicafcaie i ciia. A be f aj eae i
Jaa fced  hi jec, hehe he ed i  , ad 
f he efeed  he ei f he ciiai f he jec.
Thi ceage b he edia ha had a effec  he bic ii ad
he gig iica debae i he Naia Die.
Thi gge ha he ciia debae  he ae ad
eai f Jaa iia i ee ed. The debae i die he
aei f he Jaaee bic, ad ee f he Jaaee eci
ee, fhe aegic eai he hd ae face i he d
f f eci chaege. The ea chaege i  he ciia
ie b aegic ie, agig f hifig baace f e  he
ebig e-baed de,  -adiia eci chaege, ad
 eai f eaig ace ee  cbe ad e ace.
The, if he Jaaee Cii i efed a he ig
Libea Decaic Pa ihe, h i i affec hi iica
ahee i he Jaaee iic ad a he iia eci debae
i Jaa? I ce f hi ei, I d ike  dic he
fig hee i: fi, ibe iac f a eii f he
Cii, aica eii f Aice 9, he a eciai
cae, f he e f eici egiiiai f Jaaiia 
he defee ad eci ic debae i Jaa; ecd, he eii
ibe iac  he aagee f he Jaa-US Aiace baed 
he Tea f Ma Ceai ad Seci beee Jaa ad he
Uied Sae f Aeica f 1960 (he Jaa-US Seci Tea); hid
ad fia, he eiiiac  he cii-iia eai i Jaa.
Whie hee ae eea aede  he Jaaee
Cii de cideai, I i fc   he ed
aede  Aice 9 becae hi ii ha cied  be a
cae f cce  ic ake ad iia ffice f a ea
becae Aice 9 deie ad, ea, ad ai fce, a e a he a
eia. The eii f hi aice d be he  eiie ie
i he bade die  Jaaee ciia ef. Thee ei a
aie f i f he aede f Aice 9, b he fig
2019] IMPLICATIONS OF REVISION OF ARTICLE 9 87
age ae baed  Pie Miie Abe a  aiai
aagah 1 ad 2 f Aice 9 ad  add ahe aagah 
ee egiiie he eiece f he defee fce.
II. REVISION OF THE CONSTITUTION AND JAPANS DEFENSE AND
SECURITY POLICY6
Big he eei f E.H. Ca, i 1914, a a i
egaded ai a he bie f die, ad he a f 1914-18
ade a ed f he ie ha a i a ae hich affec 
feia die.7 The fac behid hi ig ieab he
aafae f WWI. B ee aa f ch a hiica backgd,
I beiee ha aia defee ic f a decac ha i ea fce
 he i i he deadig ad  f i aia.
Theefe, iig he f deadig ad  f he bic i
a idieabe eee f aia defee.
Thi i i aica ia f Jaa, hich i ackig i
a ce  i aia defee, aica  he ciiai
f i iia. Miia ffice, ciiia fficia, iicia, ad
ee ad ieeca, bh iide ad ide he gee f
Jaa, d  cie a ic ci. A c agage ad
gic  defee ecea  eabih a ic hich deee bic
deadig ad  i  haed b he.
Se ee   h he eci dici i ega
age  he ciiai f ecific ea e ad
eai. The ae cace ih hei ega gic, aidig
aegic ei ab h  adde he eci eie Jaa
face. If i i a ia age    adde a he eci ie
ih iia i ae, fcig   he ecei  eae
f he , he abe-eied egaiic age ae ahe e
f ia age becae he egaiic aach i  eea 
he aegic ecei  adde he iai i f f Jaa.
Oe f he aj ea he Jaaee,   bic b a
acadeic ad iicia, ae ike  aciae hei eci
6 This part and the next part of this paper are based on Hideshi Tokuchi, Reviewing the
Fundamental Basis of Japans Defense Polic  To Establish a Policy to be Honored
in the Real World (Tentative and Abridged Translation), ICHIGAYA HILLS FORUM,
(Dec. 21, 2018), https://ichigayadairondan.org/2018/12/21/reviewing-the-
fundamental-basis-of-japans-defense-policy-to-establish-a-policy-to-be-honored-in-
the-real-world-tentative-and-abridged-translation-hideshi-tokuchi/.
7 E.H. CARR, THE TWENTY YEARS CRISIS 1919-1939, AN INTRODUCTION TO THE
STUDY OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 3 (Palgrave Macmillan 2001).
88 COLUMBIA JOURNAL OF ASIAN LAW [Vol. 33:84
dici ih egai i hei debae  he Cii. The
dici fe bece ified becae f he igid defiii f
e baic cce. A I efeed  eaie, he egaiic age
ab he ciiai f ea e ad eai, hich i
 eea  he aegic eai, i eeegig i Jaa. If Jaa
eie i Cii, I beiee ha i hd d i a a  ie
 he ce f ch a egaiic age ad  be abe  eabih a
 effecie ad cicig eci ic f hich  aificia
age i ecea. If he eii i ade j  cdif he ee
ieeai f he Cii, hee eai a fea f igeig
heg.
Jaa aia iee ae iceaig gba. Accdig,
Jaa ha  hik ad ac e acie i he gba ce, ee
i iia e. If hee eai a ga beee he aegic eai
dig Jaa ad hed aiciaed i he Cii a i i,
he fc f he ic dici i cie  be  he acica
ei f h  i a he ciia eici.
The ee ieeai f he Cii ih egad  e
f fce, hich he Gee f Jaa eabihed a a cabie
decii  J 1, 2014, ei Jaa  eecie he igh f cecie
ef-defee, b  i e iied cicace.8 The Jaaee
Gee ake he ii ha hi ieeai eee he
ai ii f ieeai f he Cii. Meae b he
defee fce hich ae bed he ce f hi ieeai, f
eae f eecie f he igh f cecie ef-defee, d be
ade ibe  b ahe eieeai b  b eii f he
Cii. If , a eii f he Cii j  cdif he
ee ieeai d eae he ga iac.
Meae  aed b he ee ieeai ae  iied
 f eecie f he igh f cecie ef-defee ad f
aiciai i ieaia eai, ch a eace-keeig. Thee
i e e ei be. Jaa  aia ecii a ake i
he face f ceai ga e iai hich ie iai f
8 Exercise of the right of collective self-defense is permitted only when an armed
attack against a foreign country that is in a close relationship with Japan occurs and as
a e heae Jaa ia ad e a cea dage  fdaea e
ee igh  ife, ibe ad i f haie, ad he hee i  he
aiae ea aaiabe  ee he aack ad ee Jaa ia ad ect
i ee, ad he Jaa e f fce i iied  he ii ee ecea.
Thee ae he hee e cdii eabihed b he Jaaee Gee a he
new interpretation of the Constitution. See Ministry of Defense, 2016 Defense of
Japan, 213 (2016).
2019] IMPLICATIONS OF REVISION OF ARTICLE 9 89
aia eeig b de  a  a aed aack. F
eae, eeaed ii f Chia Ca Gad hi i he
Jaaee eiia ae dig he Sekak Iad ae 
cideed  be he eecie f Chia igh f ice aage
becae he Chiee iei i  deae hei cai f
eeig e he iad. I i a iai f Jaa eeig, b
i de a  be a aed aack agai Jaa, eihe. I hi
cae, Jaa ca eecie he igh f ef-defee baed  Aice 51
f he UN Chae becae ee de he e ieeai f he
Cii, eecie f he igh f ef-defee i eied  he
a aed aack ake ace.
The, h ab he igh f ef-defee i ca
ieaia a? Accdig  he decii f he Ieaia C
f Jice f 1986 i Nicaragua s. United States,9 ef-defee i 
aaiabe agai e f fce ha a  a aed aack de
ca ieaia a a e a de he UN Chae. A e f
fce f a ee degee ca be jified a iae ce-
eae  he a f he ici ae, accdig  he decii.10 I
i cea i he decii ha cecie ce-eae ca ie
e f fce, b he decii i  cea  he ei hehe he
ici ae ief ca e i fce a a iae ce-
eae.11 Ee if he Gee f Jaa ake he ii ha he
ici ae ief ca d , aed aack i a eeiie f Jaa
e f fce accdig  he ee ieeai f he Cii,
ad h, e f fce a a iae ce-eae agai
eeigiai hich de  a  a aed aack i 
ciia.12 If a eae cideed egiiae e f fce i
ieaia ega e ae ecea f he eci f Jaa, eii
f he Cii hd be de  ake iae ce-
eae agai eeig iai hich de  a  a
aed aack ibe.
9 Military and Paramilitary Activities in and against Nicaragua (Nicar. v. U.S.), Merits,
1986 I.C.J.14.
10 Id.
11 Id. at ¶¶ 211, 249.
12 The hee e cdii a h i e 8 are premised on the existence of an
armed attack.
90 COLUMBIA JOURNAL OF ASIAN LAW [Vol. 33:84
III. REVISION OF THE CONSTITUTION AND THE MANAGEMENT OF THE
ALLIANCE
The Jaa-US Aiace ha bee e f he ia f Jaa
aia eci ic ice he Cd Wa da. Oe f he bae f
hi aiace ha beehe haig f ae.13 B becae f he cae
f he Sie Ui ad he ed f he Cd Wa, hi aec f he
aiace ha bece e igifica. I addii, Peide T
deae f g hed ie f ei US adiiai 
 he ibea ieaiai i deiig he e bai f
haed ae. Hi d ad deed eih Aeicaf e.
If i i de ce ead  he decie f Aeica had e, i i
affec he eiiece f he Jaa-US Aiace. I igh eai ead  a
ii ha Jaa hd i ad Chia, beakig aa f he US.
O, i igh eai ead  a ec f a e de ih he US.
Hee, he Jaa-US Aiace ad he US-ceeed aiace
ek i he Aia-Pacific egi ih he Jaa-US Aiace a i
iega a hae bee iiiaied hgh decade f hi ad
hae bece he fi bedck f he egia de.14 Thi aiace
ek i  be hake b he chage f he eadehi f e
c, ee he US, b he adje f he e i ieiabe
becae f he e hif, aica becae f he ie f Chia ad
i aiie eai. A fa aJaa i cceed, i hd ee
i  eci b aig ch geae e f he egia
eci. Tha i he a f Jaa  adj he aiace eaihi.
Whie he Jaa-US Aiace i he ia f Jaaaia
eciic, i i g  a ha Jaaeci deed  he
US. Aice 5 f he Jaa-US Seci Tea i a aice f he
US  defed Jaa. I i ae: Each a  d ac  ee
he c dage . I he d, i i Jaa-US a
13 The first paragraph of the Japan-US Seci Tea a, Jaa ad he Uied
States of America, desiring to strengthen the bonds of peace and friendship
traditionally existing between them, and to uphold the principles of democracy,
idiida ibe, ad he e f a. Tea f Ma Ceai ad Seci
Between the United States of America and Japan, Japan-U.S., Jan. 19, 1960, 11 U.S.T.
1652. In addition, Japan-US Joint Declaration on Security on April 17, 1996 says in
i aagah 2, The Pie Miie ad he Peide eaffied hei cie
to the profound common values that guide our national policies: the maintenance of
feed, he i f decac, ad eec f ha igh. Japan-U.S. Joint
Declaration on Security Alliance for the 21st Century, Japan-U.S., Apr. 17, 1996,
https://www.mofa.go.jp/region/n-america/us/security/security.html
14 This is based on the realist view that the alliance network is the main tool of power-
balancing in the Asia-Pacific region.
2019] IMPLICATIONS OF REVISION OF ARTICLE 9 91
ceai ha defed Jaa. I i becae f he aeica ae
f he eci ea15 ha he ai i  cea ecgied.16
Ahgh hee i  deig ha Jaahig US bae  i 
i ehace Jaaaegic ae  he US, i i be iceaig
ia  ake he aiace ceai  eica b
ehacig Jaae f egia eci i de f bh Aeica
ad Jaaee aia  f ecgie he ai.
Jaa ha ehaced i e f egia eci hgh a
be f e icdig he eea f he biaea dce caed
The Gideie f Jaa-US Defee Ceai. B a hee
eff ae baed  he ee Jaa-US Seci Tea. Th, hi
aach i iied b he aeica ae f he Jaa-US Seci
Tea.
If Jaa ca f eecie i igh f cecie ef-defee
ee afe eiig he Cii, he aeica ae f he
aiace ca  be chaged.17 Thi ie i eea  he eiiece
f he US aiace ek i he Aia-Pacific, . Jaa, a a ach
af he US, hd be aae f i eibii  eghe he
aiace ek.
Aede f he ae f he aiace  eabih a a
defee eaihi b eiig Aice 5 f he Jaa-US Seci
Tea d be e chaegig. I igh ed  ih i iiig
a ea ciici f bdiai  he US. I d be e diffic
ha eiig he Cii, b eii f a bace f Aice
9 igh aie a eecai  he a f he US  he dii f
he ae,18 ad if , h  aage ch a eecai d
be a chaegig jb f he Jaaee ide.
15 The US has the obligation to defend Japan when an armed attack occurs against
Japan in accordance with Article 5 of the Japan-US Treaty, but this obligation is not
reciprocated Japan. Japan-U.S. Security Treaty, supra note 13, at art. 5. Instead, Japan
has the obligation to provide military bases to the US in accordance with Article 6 of
the Treaty. Id. at art. 6.
16 Kazuya Sakamoto,『󰌖󱦤同󱐐の󳐔問 󲶵󰏗をむかえた安保󰒒󱨵』[Difficult
Questions of the Japan-US Alliance: The Security Treaty Reaching Its Sixtieth
Birthday], PHP INSTITUTE INC., 275 (2012).
17 The US cooperation to defend Japan in accordance with Article 5 of the Japan-US
Security Treaty is based on the premise that the US may fully exercise the right of
collective self-defense.
18 Amendment of Article 9 of the Constitution might give an impression to the
Americans that Japan will be able to fully exercise the right of collective self-defense
because the interpretation of article even after the amendment will not be clear enough
if you just read the amendment if the current idea by the ruling Liberal Democratic
Party.
92 COLUMBIA JOURNAL OF ASIAN LAW [Vol. 33:84
IV. REVISION OF THE CONSTITUTION AND JAPANS CIVIL-MILITARY
RELATIONS
Maagee f he iia i e f he fdaea ak f
iic f de decacie. Ciiia c f he iia i
ciica ia aica i decacie, becae f he ecia
chaacef he iia gaiai i cai ih decaic
cii cieie. The cadeahi i abe i he baefied.
Y ca affd  age ih  ei ffice i cba. The
beaf decac i decii akig b dici ad eai,
b hee i  ch hig a eai i cba. Y j de,
Sh! Y d    eade    h  he fied i
a. I he cii cie eee i ea, b i he iia,  i
be  i he hieachica ce, ad eii i cea i he
ce. I hi ee, iia ce i diffee f decaic
ce. Thi diici i e f he ai ea ciiia c f
he iia i ia aica i decacie.19
Thee i  ii ab he cad eaihi  he
jidici f he egiaie ad adiiaie bache f he
gee  he iia i he Jaaee Cii . Thee i
 cce f ciiia c f he iia ihihe Cii,
ece f Paagah 2, Aice 66, hich iae ha, The ie
iie ad he iie f ae  be ciiia. If Jaa haig
a iia caabii ee ciia a a ae f
ieeai, hehee d be  ea f he Cii  hae
a cae  c he iia. Thee hd  ei ha hd be
ced, if  k hi ieeai. If  aed fce ae aed
i he Jaaee Gee ad  aed fce ei i he
gee ce i fac, i ea ha Jaa de  hae a bjec
f ciiia c.
I de  eabih a b iiia bai f ciiia
c f he iia i he Jaaee iic i i eceded ha
hee be a cea efeece  Jaaiia fce,  ae h he
fce ae caed, i he Cii, ha he gaiai be
aiaeiaed ihi he eecie bach f he gee,
ad ha he baic cad ce be defied hee. I addii, if
ch cea efeece  he iia fce i he agage f he
19 Katsuya Tsukamoto,「政󲯾󳋓係とシヴィリアン・コントロール」[Civil-
Military Relations and Civilian Control], Nihon Keizai Hyoronsha 『アクセス 安
全保󳏍󲠇』[ACCESS SECURITY STUDIES], 108, (Yoshinobu Yamamoto & Masaru
Kono eds., 2005).
2019] IMPLICATIONS OF REVISION OF ARTICLE 9 93
Cii i ided i i ehace he ee f ehi f he
Cii b he eice ebe, iigae hei feeig f beig
aieaed b he Cii, ad eghe hei   he geea
icie f e f a.
Th, he eff  ake cea efeece  he iia fce
i he Cii i be beeficia  he ciiia c f he
iia, bi a deed  h i i be achieed i he iica
ce. If he ce i a he i f ie ag he
iicia ad hei cie, i i ed  ih a age
diaie i he che f he iia. Mae dici ad
caef aagee f he iica ce i be ciica ia.