NISHI Osamu Research Group, Komazawa University

Osamu Nishi is a legal scholar and expert on constitutional law who is well-known for his conservative stance on constitutional revision. He was the chairman of the Association for Discussing Japan and the Constitution in the 21st Century (commonly known as the Civilian Constitution Council). The goal of the organization was to encourage discussions about constitutional revision. In 1991, Nishi and his seminar students at Komazawa University published the “Draft of the Heisei Constitution.” They reexamined their draft and three years later published an updated version of their draft with additional revisions. In March 2011, Nishi retired from Komazawa University.

The authors of the “Draft of the Heisei Constitution” purposely wrote their draft in a writing style that was easy to understand. The draft stipulates that the Emperor is the “symbolic head of state.” Regarding Article 9 of the current Constitution, the authors took the position that if the Self-Defense Force and the UN peacekeeping operations (PKO) were considered constitutional, then it would not be necessary to revise the article. Chapter III. The Rights and Duties of the People mentions the rights of foreigners, the right to know, privacy, the existence of the family, environmental protection, and lifelong education.