Constitution Memorial Day in Japan
May 3 · Level 3 · #1618 of 2238
Japan’s Constitution Memorial Day marks the anniversary of its postwar constitution taking effect in 1947. The occasion invites reflection on human rights, popular sovereignty and the principles of peace set out in the document.
How it is celebrated: lectures, public meetings and civic gatherings explore the constitution and its place in national life. The holiday also falls within Golden Week, when many people travel or spend time with family.
Article 9 renounces war as a sovereign right of the nation. That unusually explicit commitment has made it one of the constitution’s best-known provisions.