http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2014/06/18/japans-article-9-will-it-be-revised-or-get-the-nobel-peace-prize/
18 June 2014
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"While many agree that China and North Korea are increasingly threatening to Japan, China’s so-called new ‘assertiveness’ is somewhat exaggerated and North Korea’s sabre rattling is better interpreted as strongly defensive. Japan’s perception of China and North Korea as existential threats, rather than merely carrying out threatening behaviour, is intimately entwined with Japanese identification processes and the domestic political battle over Article 9.
Attempts to reinterpret and revise Japan’s constitution are partly the result of Japanese policymakers and citizens adopting powerful international norms on how ‘normal’ powers should behave. However, many within and outside Japan feel that Japan cannot be trusted with a more permissive constitution as long as senior government officials keep diluting historical facts.
The Nobel Committee’s decision to accept the nomination of Article 9 for the 2014 Peace Prize supports this line of thinking. However, the broader implication is more radical: ultimately the nomination challenges the dominant idea that an ability to go to war defines ‘normal’ state conduct and gives states recognition, status and power. This is where the promise of Article 9 lies, both for Japan and for the world.
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For the world, Article 9 serves as a powerful reminder that there is nothing inevitable or ‘normal’ about arms races and wars."
For the world, Article 9 serves as a powerful reminder that there is nothing inevitable or ‘normal’ about arms races and wars."
