Japan is one of the most prosperous and technologically advanced countries in the world. And, as the previous blog post mentions, Japan is also the only G8 country that is among the top 5 most peaceful countries in the world. With conflicts brewing right next door in North Korea and between China and Taiwan, how can Japan be so peaceful? It may have something to do with the fact that Japan’s Constitution forbids the maintaining of a standing army and denounces war as a tool for foreign policy:
Article 9 of their Constitution says:
Aspiring sincerely to an international peace based on justice and order, the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes. (2) In order to accomplish the aim of the preceding paragraph, land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained. The right of belligerency of the state will not be recognized.
Peace Learner 