Source: World Wide Web
【Global Network Report】May 3 is the anniversary of the Japanese Constitution, in view of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party's insistence on promoting the revision of Article 9 of the Constitution of Japan and other four constitutional amendment plans, Japan's "Citizens' Opinion Advertising Campaign" published advertisements in four Japanese newspapers and periodicals, including the Asahi Shimbun and the Yomiuri Shimbun, on the 3rd, expressing that "constitutional amendments are not allowed!" We chose the "against war" position, and the advertisement also had the huge words "Do not kill".
According to reports, the "Citizens' Opinion Advertising Campaign" was launched by the Japanese citizens' group "Citizens' 30 Opinions Meeting • Tokyo". According to information published on the website of Japan's "Citizens' Opinion Advertising Campaign", the campaign does not involve any political parties or political groups. In May 2003, in response to the (U.S.) attack on Iraq, the campaign launched its first opinion ad in The Mainichi Shimbun of Japan, titled "Force Cannot Create Peace," which was endorsed by 2,095 people. Subsequently, as a "protest in the newspaper" in which anyone can participate, the movement mainly published advertisements on the annual Constitution Anniversary, calling for the realization of Article 9 of the Constitution of Japan in the true sense of the word, and won a large number of popular support.
According to the Citizens' Opinion Advertising Campaign, the movement published opinion advertisements in the May 3, 2022 National Morning News of The Asahi Shimbun, the National Morning Newspaper of the Yomiuri Shimbun, the Okinawa Times Morning News, and the Morning Newspaper of the Ryukyu Shin-Pao Newspaper, with the title "Constitutional Amendments Are Not Allowed!" We chose to oppose the war", 11,127 people agreed with the advertising concept, with the names of some of the supporters written on the advertisement and the huge words "Don't Kill" written on the paper.
According to the content of the advertisement posted by the "Citizens' Opinion Advertising Campaign", the advertisement said that on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the implementation of the Constitution, the Constitution of Japan was in an unprecedented crisis, and in March this year, Kishida Fumio said that the revision of the Constitution was "exactly the topic that must be promoted today." The advertisement also said that the Japanese constitutional revision forces attach the greatest importance to the inclusion of the Self-Defense Forces in Article 9 of the Constitution of Japan, although the forces argue that this will not bring about any practical changes, but if the Self-Defense Forces are included in Article 9, it will invalidate the provisions of the article that Japan "abandons war, does not maintain the power of war, and denies the right to fight". The inclusion of the Self-Defense Forces in Article IX means that, based on the Security Association Act (passed by Japan in 2015), the SDF will be integrated with the U.S. military, making Japan a country capable of waging war anywhere in the world.
In addition, the advertisement said that in order to prepare for the so-called "Taiwan incident", the Japanese Self-Defense Forces and the US military planned to arm the Southwest Japanese Islands, and the Japanese government deployed self-defense forces and missile systems on the Southwest Islands, which increased the risk of sudden conflict, and the okinawan people were very afraid that the area would become a battlefield again. The advertisement also said that the Japanese government incited social uneasiness about the so-called "things" and promoted military expansion, which expressed strong opposition.
On the other hand, the advertisement also protested against Russia's "military invasion" of Ukraine and demanded that Russia immediately and unconditionally withdraw from Ukraine and maintain a ceasefire. The ad also criticized politicians such as former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for suggesting that issues such as "nuclear sharing" with the United States should be discussed in Japan.
Article 9 of the Constitution of Japan stipulates that Japan shall renounce its right to war and shall not possess the army, sea and air force. The Abe government, the Suga government, and the Kishida government are all interested in pushing for a constitutional amendment. According to the Asahi Shimbun, Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio made a video speech at a gathering of "constitutional revisionists" in Tokyo on the 3rd, claiming that after the 75th anniversary of the implementation of the Constitution, the so-called "backward" part of it should be revised, and declared, "This is by no means an easy task, but it must continue to be challenged."