According to a report published on Monday, a recent survey by the Nikkei shows that roughly seven out of ten Japanese citizens support revising the country’s constitution.
The Nikkei‘s annual mail-in survey, which occurred between November and December last year, surveyed 1,548 people. The results revealed that 68% of respondents favored constitutional revisions, while 28% preferred to keep the current constitution unchanged. This marks the highest level of support for constitutional amendments since the Nikkei started its annual surveys in 2018. Support for revisions was particularly strong among middle-aged and older adults, with around 70% of respondents in their 30s to 60s in favor. Even among younger adults in their 20s, about 60% expressed support for amending the constitution.
The survey also showed that 73% of respondents support explicitly recognizing the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) in Japan’s constitution, while 23% oppose it. Additionally, 78% of those surveyed expressed concerns about the possibility of an attack from another country, with 87% citing threats from Russia and China as particular worries.
Japan’s constitution, especially Article 9, has long been debated. Article 9 renounces war and forbids the use of military force, while its second paragraph prohibits the country from maintaining a military and engaging in combat. This has led to criticism that Japan’s Self-Defense Forces, which act as the nation’s de facto military, contradict the constitution. In response, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has advocated for an amendment to recognize the Self-Defense Forces formally. However, the prospects for a successful revision remain uncertain following the 2022 lower house elections, where the number of pro-amendment lawmakers decreased. Japan’s constitution, often called the pacifist constitution, has not been amended since it was enacted in 1947.