The number of Japanese who oppose changes to Article 9 of the constitution, according to which Japan renounces the possession of an army and from war as a means of resolving international conflicts, has not changed in a year, despite growing tensions in the world, including the situation in Ukraine and around Taiwan.

According to a survey conducted by the Kyodo agency, 50% of respondents answered that it is necessary to amend the constitution in order to fix the status of self-defense forces in it. At the same time, 48% oppose it. Compared to last year, the ratio remained almost unchanged: at that time, 51% of the respondents were in favor of changing the basic law, and 45% were against.

76% of respondents believe that Japan has not participated in armed conflicts throughout the entire post-war period due to the 9th article of the constitution. This is 9 percentage points more than last year's survey.

Despite the increase in international tension over the year, only 29% thought that this is the basis for changing the constitution, 70% do not think so.

The survey was conducted by mail from March 1 to April 11 among 3,000 respondents over 18 years old. 65% answered the questions.