Japan crosses out its peace pledge

May 3 marked Japan's Constitution Memorial Day, commemorating the day the country's current constitution took effect in 1947.

Widely known as the pacifist constitution, the supreme law enshrines Article 9, which renounces war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as a means of settling international disputes. Yet that commitment is now under pressure.

While Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi accelerates efforts to revise the constitution, Japan has also expanded its military footprint overseas, participating in the 2026 U.S.-Philippines Balikatan joint military exercise and firing two Type 88 surface-to-ship missiles — the first time Japan has launched offensive missiles overseas since the end of World War II.