Japan PM proposes changes to military clause in constitution News
Japan PM proposes changes to military clause in constitution

[JURIST] Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party [official website, English version], led by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, on Friday proposed changes to the pacifist language of the country's constitution, originally written by US occupation forces in 1947. Article 9 of Japan's constitution [text] requires Japan to renounce the right to wage war or threaten force to settle international disputes. It also forbids Japan from maintaining a military, although Japan has been allowed to maintain a Self-Defense Force [GlobalSecurity profile] of about 240,000 troops. The LDP and top opposition party the Democratic Party of Japan [official website, English version] want to amend Article 9 to clearly establish entitlement to the SDF [JURIST report]. A two-thirds majority of both houses of parliament must approve the changes. If it passes in Parliament, a nationwide referendum would be held for final approval. In July, thousands of protestors voiced disapproval for such a revision [JURIST report]. The move may also further strain relations with Japan's neighbors, especially China and South Korea. Reuters has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Tojo and other Japanese WWII leaders executed for war crimes

On December 23, 1948, former Japanese premier Hideki Tojo and six other Japanese war leaders were executed for war crimes in Tokyo.

Learn more about the Tokyo War Crimes Trials.

Terry Nichols convicted for Oklahoma City bombing

On December 23, 1997, Terry Nichols was found guilty of conspiracy and involuntary manslaughter for assisting Timothy McVeigh in bombing the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. He was later sentenced to life in prison. On April 19, 1995, McVeigh detonated a truck bomb that gutted the building and killed 168 people, making it the deadliest terrorist attack on US. soil until the attacks of September 11, 2001. McVeigh was convicted for his role before Nichols on June 2, 1997. Learn more about the trials of Terry Nichols and Timothy McVeigh.