Event

The Constitution of Japan is the oldest unamended constitution in the world, but debates over its revision have picked up steam in the last decade. Various Liberal Democratic Party leaders have declared constitutional change to be a top priority, but it is unclear whether the public shares their commitment. This talk focuses on a specific distinction: whether amendments are perceived to be necessary (present urgency) versus desirable (future improvement). I discuss this difference using evidence from comparative constitutional data and survey experiments in Japan. First, I analyze the structural features of the Constitution and argue that it can adapt to pressing concerns without formal amendments, because it leaves many features to be determined by law. Second, I examine elite and public preferences regarding constitution revision and demonstrate that there is profound disagreement on HOW to amend the document, suggesting uncertainty about the viability of the LDP's proposals.

Kenneth Mori McElwain is a Professor of Comparative Politics at the Institute of Social Science, University of Tokyo. His research focuses on comparative institutions and Japanese politics, with a particular emphasis on constitutional design and change. An Irish national raised in Tokyo, he holds a BA in public and international affairs from Princeton University and a PhD in political science from Stanford University. Before joining UTokyo in 2015, he served on the faculty at the University of Michigan. Dr. McElwain’s work has been widely published in journals, edited volumes, and monographs. His recent book, The Universality and Originality of the Japanese Constitution in Quantitative Perspective (Chikura Shobō, 2022), received the 44th Ishibashi Tanzan Award and the 34th Asia-Pacific Award Special Prize. In addition to his research, he serves as Editor-in-Chief of Social Science Japan Journal, published by Oxford University Press, and is the Director of International Affairs for the Japanese Political Science Association. During the 2024-25 academic year, he will be a Visiting Professor of Japanese Politics at Columbia University.