Japan renounces war, and even the possession of military forces. That’s what Article 9 of the Constitution of Japan declares.

Japan has kept this constitution since the end of World War II, and has tried to keep a peaceful state.

Recently, some people are making serious attempts to change this Article 9 in order to legalize Japan’s military engagements and thus become ‘an ordinary nation.’ However, to become ‘an ordinary nation’ in this sense is to become ‘a country that can wage war through military activity.’

Is that what we really need?

‘Magazine 9’ is a web site to discuss the issue of Article 9. If you want more information about Article 9, whether you think we should or should not change Article 9, please visit our site, get more information, and think about it further.

‘’Magazine 9’ was founded on March 1, 2005 in the Japanese language, by many volunteers who believed that Article 9 of the Constitution of Japan was a treasure, and that it should be preserved and handed over to future generations . We tried to make it an easy-to-read site, so that those who are not interested in politics can also enjoy it. Thanks to the efforts of such volunteers, the number of hits per month is way over 300,000 .

We decided to create an English page as well, since we believe that Article 9 is important not only for Japan but also for the world. We welcome various comments in order to deepen understanding through debate.

Please enjoy our site, and join us if you can!