The was a Japanese group founded in 1946 to promote the reformed

Constitution of Japan The Constitution of Japan is the supreme law of Japan. Written primarily by American civilian officials during the occupation of Japan after World War II, it was adopted on 3 November 1946 and came into effect on 3 May 1947, succeeding the Meij ...

. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the Allied occupation required that the existing

Meiji Constitution The Constitution of the Empire of Japan ( Kyūjitai: ; Shinjitai: , ), known informally as the Meiji Constitution (, ''Meiji Kenpō''), was the constitution of the Empire of Japan which was proclaimed on February 11, 1889, and remained in ...

of Japan be amended to replace the absolute rule of the Emperor with a

liberal democracy Liberal democracy, also called Western-style democracy, or substantive democracy, is a form of government that combines the organization of a democracy with ideas of liberalism, liberal political philosophy. Common elements within a liberal dem ...

. As part of the process of implementing the changes to legislation that resulted, the Yoshida administration formed the ''Kenpō Fukyū Kai'', with the mandate to "thoroughly popularize the spirit of the new Constitution through activities to raise awareness of it so as to touch every aspect of the lives of the citizens." The Society was officially established on December 1, 1946.

Hitoshi Ashida was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan in 1948. He was a prominent figure in the immediate postwar political landscape, but was forced to resign his leadership responsibilities after a corruption scandal (Shōwa Denkō J ...

was the Chairman, Kanamori Tokujiro was Deputy Chairman and

Toshiyoshi Miyazawa Toshiyoshi is a masculine Japanese given name. Written forms Toshiyoshi can be written using many different combinations of kanji characters. Here are some examples: *敏義, "agile, justice" *敏吉, "agile, good luck" *敏善, "agile, virtuou ...

was Secretary. Offices of the society were set up throughout Japan to popularise the Constitution at a local level. In February 1947, the Society held a series of lectures at

Tokyo University The University of Tokyo (, abbreviated as in Japanese and UTokyo in English) is a public research university in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1877 as the nation's first modern university by the merger of several pre-westernisation era ins ...

, aimed at training government officials in the changes to the Constitution. Around 50,000 copies of the transcripts of these lectures were published under the title ''Lectures on the New Constitution'', and were used as a reference aid and training tool for the bureaucrats and civil servants tasked with implementing the new laws. To inform the general population of the changes in legislation, the Society published a number of pamphlets and booklets detailing the amendments; chief among these was , around 20,000,000 copies of which were printed. It was circulated to every household in Japan. Under 1947's Fundamental Law on Education, children and young people in education were required to be informed about the new Constitution. To this end, the Society produced a number of simplified books aimed at children, using the New Education Promotion Society's ''Constitution for Children''. When the Constitution was enacted on May 3, 1947, the Society held a major celebratory event at the Imperial Theatre, which was attended by members of the Imperial Family and representatives of the Allied Powers. The Society continued to operate for a year or so after the establishment of the Constitution.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kenpo Fukyu Kai Japanese governmental reforms 1946 establishments in Japan Politics of Post-war Japan