The Significance of Article 13 in the Japanese Constitution Explained by Lawyer Makoto Ito

On the 3rd, the Constitution of Japan celebrated its 77th anniversary. Makoto Ito (65), a lawyer who knows the Constitution, explains the importance of Article 13, which states respect for the individual. Each person is recognized for who they are, and the person close to them is recognized in the same way. This idea is said to lead to world peace. Adults and children alike, why not think about this on Constitution Day? (Audition: Ayane Imagawa)

◆ There is value in just being alive

– What is the difference between constitution and law?

“The Constitution is the master of the law and it is the most important law.” A lot of people probably think that. In reality, the difference is who follows the rules and why.

Laws are rules created by the country and followed by the people to create a society where people can live safely and securely.

The Constitution is a set of rules that protect people who work for the country, such as members of the Diet and civil servants, from doing whatever they want.

– What does “respect for the person” mean?

It says two things. One is to respect each person’s individuality. Everyone is different, both in appearance and in their hearts. It means accepting that everyone is different and that it’s wonderful to be different, and thinking about how we can all live together. “Even if you are a parent and a child or friends, it is normal to be different. It is natural that you do not understand each other.” If you start from there, your relationships with people will be more interesting.

The other thing is that people have the same value as you, so you should respect them. There is value not because you are useful for something, but simply because you are alive. There is not one child that should never be born.

◆ Instead of lowering your ideals to fit reality

– What should I do to make me think like that?

Don’t just look at whether you can make money or whether it is convenient, but also consider the welfare, education, and human rights that are necessary for a society where everyone can live comfortably. Even if you are in a situation where you have no inconvenience at the moment, you never know when you will be in a problematic or inconvenient situation due to a major disaster or illness. I want you to be someone who can consider the feelings of those on the smaller or weaker side.

– How does it connect to world peace?

Let’s expand the idea of ​​Article 13 from relations between people to relations between countries, and consider ways to live together. This is Article 9, which declared that war was rejected. Even if countries with different cultures, histories and religions do not seem to share the same way of thinking, we have no choice but to move forward as neighbors who always live together on the same planet

“Article 13 of the Japanese Constitution is a very important article,” says lawyer Makoto Ito.

The foundation of this idea is the preamble to the Constitution. They believe that “there are people who love peace in every country,” and although Japan has a constitution, they go out of their way to say that “the right of people around the world to live in peace.” ‘

– However, it seems that the peace that Japan is aiming for is very different from the world we live in today, where many wars are happening.

This is because the modern world has not yet achieved the level of “peace without the use of military force” as written in the Preamble and Article 9. Instead of reducing our ideas to be relevant to the world before us, we need to communicate with countries in different situations and encourage them to “work together.” What Japan should do is not to support one side of the conflict, but to say, “Let’s stop fighting.” Just like playing sports or taking entrance exams, it is important to to strive towards what you love.

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