# Japan's right to declare war **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 8, 2016, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japans-right-to-declare-war/759393 "2016-07-08T14:35:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![drewder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2016, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japans-right-to-declare-war/759393/1 "2016-07-08T14:35:45Z")
In the post-war Japanese constitution a provision was included which forbade japan from aggressive war and limited their military only to defensive action. [Apparently](http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2016/07/08/japans-pacifist-charter-stake-sunday-parliamentary-election/86844796/) for the first time since the war the Japanese Diet has the votes necessary to amend the document. Do you think they will amend the document? What response should the United States and the other WWII allies have if they do make such a change? Does changing the document indicate that they have a desire, even in the back of their minds, to wage an aggressive war? Against whom? I doubt they have much interest in attacking the United States but they’ll likely tell our soldiers stationed there to leave. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2016, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japans-right-to-declare-war/759393/2 "2016-07-08T15:01:11Z")
Japan will not fight a war of aggression against anyone. The only potential rival is China, and they’re not going to win that one. The US has actually been pushing Japan to become more involved in international military operations. And, no, they will not be telling the US to leave Japanese territory. ---
**Author:** ![Pantastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3bc359/32.png) [@Pantastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pantastic)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2016, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japans-right-to-declare-war/759393/3 "2016-07-08T15:36:16Z")
Modern Japan is vastly different than Imperial Japan. If they vote to amend their constitution there will be some outraged statements in the news, and nothing beyond that. Germany reunifying was a much bigger deal and a potentially much bigger threat to NATO and Russia. Japan is not going to ask the US to leave when China, North Korea, and Russia are all nearby. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2016, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japans-right-to-declare-war/759393/4 "2016-07-08T16:18:04Z")
Japan is a universally recognized sovereign nation. They are restricted from waging war only by their own volition, and have a right to change that if they deem it appropriate. US troops in Japan are there at the invitation of Japan, and they can be asked to leave at any time, and must leave if told to do so. If they do not, that in itself would be an act of war, and Japan could engage them defensively on Japanese soil, without even violating the present no-aggression constitutional language. ---
**Author:** ![Pantastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3bc359/32.png) [@Pantastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pantastic)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2016, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japans-right-to-declare-war/759393/5 "2016-07-08T17:29:46Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > Japan is a universally recognized sovereign nation. Yes, that’s another good point - US troops are not occupying Japan, and haven’t been since 1952 - Japan has been independent since then. It’s not like Germany, where West Germany formed in 1955, but was not fully independent until the reunification in the 1990s. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2016, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japans-right-to-declare-war/759393/6 "2016-07-08T17:42:31Z")
> [@TokyoBayer](#): > > Japan will not fight a war of aggression against anyone. The only potential rival is China, and they’re not going to win that one. > > The US has actually been pushing Japan to become more involved in international military operations. > > And, no, they will not be telling the US to leave Japanese territory. If I were in Japan, [I know which military I’d want defending the area…](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNdPPEwguDQ)😃 ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2016, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japans-right-to-declare-war/759393/7 "2016-07-08T18:31:05Z")
> [@drewder](#): > > In the post-war Japanese constitution a provision was included which forbade japan from aggressive war and limited their military only to defensive action. [Apparently](http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2016/07/08/japans-pacifist-charter-stake-sunday-parliamentary-election/86844796/) for the first time since the war the Japanese Diet has the votes necessary to amend the document. Does it change anything legally, in regards to prosecuting a conflict that may be self defense oriented, but not on the home islands. Declan ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2016, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japans-right-to-declare-war/759393/8 "2016-07-09T09:03:04Z")
> [@Declan](#): > > Does it change anything legally, in regards to prosecuting a conflict that may be self defense oriented, but not on the home islands. That’s less the issue than being able to join other countries is multinational actions or to be more aggressive about the specks of sand that everyone is so concerned about.