Event: Misawa Air Base

A ceremony is held at Misawa Air Base to mark the arrival of the first operational F-35A Lightning II to the Japan Air Self-Defense Force’s 3rd Air Wing in February 2018. The SDF is already one of the world's best equipped militaries. | U.S. Air Force / via REUTERS Since Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae’s Liberal Democratic Party secured 316 seats in Japan’s Lower House, the largest majority seen since the end of World War II, constitutional revision has now returned to the political agenda. Article 9 — the pacifist clause that has shaped debates about Japan’s security posture since 1945 — may finally be rewritten to acknowledge something that has long been obvious in practice: Japan already operates a military under another name.That would be a mistake.It’s not that constitutional revision would suddenly threaten Japan’s peace or stability, although claims along those lines are sure to be seized upon and amplified by Beijing. The deeper problem is that the entire debate rests on a misreading of what Article 9 has actually done in practice. The conventional narrative frames the clause as an occupation-era restriction that Japan must remove before it can respond effectively to the security pressures emerging in its region. That description no longer quite matches operational reality. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.By subscribing, you can help us get the story right. SUBSCRIBE NOW