A poll released by the Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK) on April 3rd showed that more than half of respondents believe the National Diet of Japan should prioritize issues other than the Constitution.
The poll found that 52% of respondents believe the Diet "should prioritize issues other than the Constitution," while only 24% believe it "should prioritize constitutional revision," and 14% believe "there is no need to discuss constitutional revision." On the question of whether the current Constitution needs to be amended, "in favor" and "undecided" both stood at 38%, while 20% believed "it is unnecessary."
Opinions on Article 9 of the Constitution—one of the core points of contention—have become increasingly divided. The survey found that 33% of respondents believe it is necessary to amend the article, 31% believe no amendment is needed, and another 31% were undecided. Most supporters of the amendment argue that the Constitution should explicitly define the status of the Self-Defense Forces, while opponents cite "Maintain the spirit of the pacifist constitution" as their primary reason.
However, the public's understanding of the Constitution is relatively limited: only 4% of respondents said they "understand it very well," 36% described their understanding as "generally good," 47% said they "don't understand it very well," and 12% admitted they "don't understand it at all."
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Miho Aoi, a professor at Gakushuin University who argues that amending the Constitution is not appropriate at this stage, points out that while some claim "the time is ripe for constitutional revision," they fail to specify exactly what problems exist with the Constitution or how they intend to amend it, and many people simply do not understand the Constitution itself. Furthermore, since issues affecting people's daily lives, such as rising prices, are more closely tied to their lives, the priority of constitutional revision has relatively diminished.
She believes that, whether it be the law or other systems, amendments should only be made when there is a valid reason. She argues that it is inappropriate to push for constitutional amendments before fully explaining what changes will result from them and how they will affect people's lives.
In early April, NHK conducted a nationwide public opinion survey of people aged 18 and older by randomly dialing landlines and mobile phones. Of the 3,476 people contacted, 1,248 responded, resulting in a response rate of 35.9%.
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