Something to mention in regards to Japan and its military

Hi everyone,

I wanted to mention this because I feel like this is something to keep in the back of your mind regarding Japan assisting with the Strait of Hormuz. This will be especially important in the future when speaking about Japan, China, and Taiwan.

Japan is constitutionally bound by pacifism under Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution ratified in 1947. They are not allowed to maintain a military or engage in war under Article 9.

The exact English translation is this:

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.

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.

I can give a lot more background and commentary on this, but for now I will just mention these:

In the 1950s, Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida and the Japanese parliament interpreted that Article 9 allows for a self-defense force. This created the Japanese Self-Defense Forces.

In 2014, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the Japanese parliament reinterpreted that Article 9 allows for collective self-defense. This means that in some cases, the Japanese Self-Defense Forces can engage in military action if alliances/allies were attacked because weakened alliances and allies could threaten Japan.

Since its ratification, the Japanese Constitution of 1947 has not been amended.

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