Place: UBC Institute of Asian Research Room 120 (C.K. Choi Building, 1855 West Mall)
Date: Wednesday, February 15
Time: 12:30-2PM
By: Visiting Professor Masahiro Nakano (Aoyama Gakuin University)
Abstract:
In Japan, as the consequences of the election of the House of Councilors (参議院) in 2016, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP: 自民党), Komeito (公明党) and some of their followers won two-thirds of the seats in both of the House of Representatives (衆議院) and the House of Councilors, and they are going to initiate the amendment of the current Constitution of Japan according to its Article 96.
The constitutional amendment has been the earnest wish of the LDP and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, because they firmly believe that it was “imposed” by the US government when Japan lost the WWII. This recognition is actually NOT appropriate, but nowadays even the ordinary people in Japan also seems to share it.
In order to discuss possible amendments of the Constitution, at least, we must share the basic and precise knowledge. This presentation intends to trace and clarify the roots of the ideas of Japanese Constitution, focusing namely its three principles: (1) sovereignty of the people, (2) fundamental human rights, and (3) pacifism. And finally, I would like to briefly mention E. Herbert Norman, Canadian diplomat/scholar in Japanese studies, who played an important role at the end of the WWII in this context, introducing the precious documents the UBC library owns.
About the Speaker:
Masahiro Nakano: Born in 1968. Graduate from Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Japan. Ph.D. Had worked at Oita University, Japan and visited l’Université Paris 8. Currently, Professor at the School of Cultural and Creative Studies, Aoyama Gakuin University, Tokyo, Japan, and Visiting Professor at IAR, UBC. Main major is History of Social Thought but actually treats more interdisciplinary themes. In 2006, published Money and Mind, Kyoto: Nakanishiya Pub. Recently, concentrates to the birth history of current Japanese Constitution.
See the poster for the event.