Japanese people who conserve Article 9
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The Japanese people who conserve Article 9 are a group of people who were among the favourites to win the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize.


Background

Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution is a clause in the national Constitution of Japan outlawing war as a means to settle international disputes involving the state. The Constitution came into effect on 3 May 1947, following World War II. In its text, the state formally renounces th ...
is the section of the Japanese constitution that states:


Protest

Over the years, there have been different attempts to change or abolish Article 9, which was adopted in 1947.
Shinzō Abe Shinzo Abe ( ; ja, 安倍 晋三, Hepburn: , ; 21 September 1954 – 8 July 2022) was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 20 ...
, Prime Minister of Japan since late 2012, is a supporter of making Article 9 less restrictive. In January 2013, Naomi Takasu from
Zama, Kanagawa is a city located in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 130,667 and a population density of 7,400 persons per km². The total area of the city is The city hosts the United States Army Camp Zama base. Geograph ...
emailed the Norwegian Nobel Committee to promote Article 9 as a means to protect children. She tried to get Article 9 itself nominated for the
Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Swedish industrialist, inventor and armaments (military weapons and equipment) manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Chemistry, Physics, Physiolog ...
, but since she didn't have the time to organise protests, she campaigned from home, by email. Joined by other people from Zama and from
Sagamihara is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city has an estimated population of 723,470, with 334,812 households, and a population density of 1,220 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Sagamihara is the third-most-populous city ...
, she formed the "Organizing Committee for the Nobel Peace Prize for Article 9 of the Constitution.", which by August 2013 had gathered 24,000 signatures to support the nomination. After receiving the petition, the Committee replied that the Prize can only be awarded to people or organizations, disqualifying the Article 9 nomination. Takasu then changed the nomination to be about the Japanese people who want to keep Article 9. Since not everyone can make nominations for the Prize, she couldn't officially nominate the group herself. A number of Japanese professors with the right qualifications supported her cause and submitted the revised nomination. The group has continued to grow in Japan and receive support from all over the world. By June 2014, about 80,000 people had signed the petition. Notable members include
Yōichi Komori is a critic of Japanese modern literature and a social activist in Japan. He is currently a professor at the University of Tokyo, Japan. Early life Yoichi Komori was born into a family of a professional political activists on May 14, 1953, in T ...
, professor at the
University of Tokyo , abbreviated as or UTokyo, is a public research university located in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1877, the university was the first Imperial University and is currently a Top Type university of the Top Global University Project b ...
and leader of the group ''Kyujo no Kai'' ("Association of Article 9"). Political reactions to the group and the chances of a Nobel Prize for it have been mixed.


2014 Nobel Peace Prize speculation

In the days running up to the announcement of the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize, there was widespread speculation that the so-called "Japanese people who conserve Article 9" group were favourites to win the prize. In the end, the winners were
Kailash Satyarthi Kailash Satyarthi (born 11 January 1954) is an Indian social reformer who campaigned against child labor in India and advocated the universal right to education. In 2014, he was the co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, along with Malala Yo ...
from India and
Malala Yousafzai Malala Yousafzai ( ur, , , pronunciation: ; born 12 July 1997), is a Pakistani female education activist and the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Awarded when she was 17, she is the world's youngest Nobel Prize laureate, and the second P ...
from Pakistan. The speculation about their chances was fueled when
Kristian Berg Harpviken Kristian Berg Harpviken (born 27 December 1961) is a Norwegian sociologist and researcher, and since 2009 director of the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO). Harpviken is foremost known for his competence on Afghanistan, where he has travelled ...
, director of the
Peace Research Institute Oslo The Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO; no, Institutt for fredsforskning) is a private research institution in peace and conflict studies, based in Oslo, Norway, with around 100 employees. It was founded in 1959 by a group of Norwegian researcher ...
, who each year announces his shortlist of favourites for the prize, named the group as his top for 2014 in his revised list, posted 3 October 2014.


See also

*
The Nobel Peace Prize for Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...


Notes

{{reflist Peace organizations based in Japan Protests in Japan Constitutions of Japan 2013 establishments in Japan