Renunciation of War

E4664

Renunciation of War is a foundational principle in Japan’s postwar constitution that commits the nation to pacifism by rejecting war and the maintenance of traditional military forces.

Observed surface forms (1)

Surface form Occurrences
Pacifist Clause 1

Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf constitutional principle
legal doctrine
pacifist principle
adoptedOn 1946-11-03
aimsTo commit Japan to pacifism
limit Japan’s military capabilities
prevent Japan from engaging in aggressive war
allows minimum necessary self-defense under prevailing government interpretation
appliesTo maintenance of offensive military capabilities
use of armed force by Japan outside its territory
article Article 9
surface form: Article 9 of the Constitution of Japan
constitutionalChapter Constitution of Japan
surface form: Chapter II of the Constitution of Japan
contrastsWith traditional concept of sovereign right to wage war
coreIdea non-maintenance of war potential
prohibition on the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes
rejection of war as a sovereign right of the nation
country Japan
debatedIssues constitutionality of collective self-defense
participation of Japan in UN peacekeeping operations
status of the Self-Defense Forces as military forces
effectiveFrom 1947-05-03
enshrinedIn Constitution of Japan
historicalContext post–World War II occupation of Japan
influenced global discussions on war-renouncing constitutions
peace movements in Japan
influencedBy Allied occupation policy
Japanese domestic pacifist movements
Allied occupation of Japan
surface form: United States postwar planning for Japan
interpretedBy Cabinet Legislation Bureau of Japan
Supreme Court of Japan
JapaneseName 戦争放棄
language Japanese
legalDomain constitutional law
international law
legalStatus binding constitutional norm
normType substantive limitation on state power
recognizedAs one of the most prominent examples of constitutional pacifism in the world
relatedTo Article 9 debates in Japanese politics
Japan Self-Defense Forces
Japanese pacifism
Japan’s security treaties with the United States
subjectOf constitutional amendment proposals in Japan
domestic legal controversies over the scope of self-defense
international law scholarship on constitutional pacifism
symbolizes Japan’s postwar identity as a peace state
textFragment land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained
the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation
the right of belligerency of the state will not be recognized

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Article 9 alsoKnownAs Renunciation of War
subject surface form: Article 9 of the Constitution of Japan
this entity surface form: Pacifist Clause
Constitution of Japan chapterSubject Renunciation of War