Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution

1. Aspiring sincerely to an international peace based on justice and order, the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes.

2. In order to accomplish the aim of the preceding paragraph, land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained. The right of belligerency of the state will not be recognized.

日本国民は、正義と秩序を基調とする国際平和を誠実に希求し、国権の発動たる戦争と、武力による威嚇又は武力の行使は、国際紛争を解決する手段としては、永久にこれを放棄する。

前項の目的を達するため、陸海空軍その他の戦力は、これを保持しない。国の交戦権は、これを認めない

Tomorrow, Nov.3 is Japan's national holiday called "Culture Day" (文化の日: bunka=文化　no=の hi=日 ）. Japanese Constitution was officially announced in 1946 and came into force on May 3 in 1947. To commemorate these events, Nov.3 and May 3 were made into national holidays.

Japan's Article 9 came after the atomic bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. So, Article 9 reflects this new reality of potential nuclear and other kinds of technological annihilation of the species.

Nine public intellectuals (like Kenzaburo Oe or Ooe 大江健三郎) established Article 9 Association in 2004 to shine the light of Article 9 upon this turbulent world, in order to join hands with the peace-seeking citizens of the world.