日本国憲法における“憲法改正”と“憲法変動”

Abstract

Constitution of Japan (1946) was promulgated on November 3rd, 1946, shortly after the end of the Second World War, and came into force on May 3rd, 1947. It is a "contemporary constitution", a relatively newer kind compared to other constitutions of the world. It is yet the longest-living unamended constitution, since there has been no changes from the original text of 1946. Indeed, Constitution of Japan has never been amended, not even for once. However, the past 70 years of constitutional history of Japan provides some important and meaningful insights in the field of comparative studies of constitutional amendments. First of all, Japanese experiences suggest that constitutional changes can emerge without formal constitutional amendments. This introduces the concept of "kaishakukaiken" (interpretive amendment, de facto constitutional change through reinterpretation of the constitution). Secondly, Japan's experiences can provide an opportunity to think about what makes a proper amendment, by reviewing the history of failed attempts. In post-war Japan, there has been several movements for the constitutional amendments, all of which were scuttled. The main reason for the frustration is that "the view on the constitution" itself was not appropriate. This view, played as underlying motives, includes 'reversion to the past (nationalistic amendment)' or 'true independence of Japan (anti-U.S. amendment movement)'. Those are the cases of constitutional law and a narrative (or even a nationalistic narrative) being confused. Also, the recent attempts of politicians trying to convey their political agendas in constitutional law is a case of confusion between "constitutional law" and policy "wish list". Aside from that, it seems like post-war constitutional amendment movements can be categorized into multiple types. There has been, for example, a reactionary amendment movement against the 'imposed constitution', a movement aiming at transforming Japan suitable for the global standard, and a movement to ratify the achievement of the interpretive amendment. This paper is structured as follows. One needs to understand the birth of Constitution of Japan (1946) in order to understand the concept precisely. Therefore in SectionⅠ, I will revisit the unusual history of the promulgation of Constitution of Japan (1946). In Section Ⅱ, I will introduce the amendment procedure of the current constitution. And in Section Ⅲ, I will briefly cover the characteristics of the post-war constitutional amendment movements, as well as presenting the outline of the interpretive amendment. Finally in Section Ⅳ, I will add my personal remarks on the value of "post-war" and the constitutional amendment.