Feature: Constitution Day in Japan more than just walk in park this year for many Tokyoites

The Golden Week string of national holidays in Japan are eagerly anticipated annually by young and old in Japan at this time of the year, the former who get a break from school and the rigor of study, while workers, their families and retirees often plan stints away at onsen hotels, or short trips to easily accessible places like Okinawa, Guam and Saipan.

For many Tokyoites however, with travel agencies severely hiking plane and Shinkansen bullet train tickets at this time of year, lavish holidays are out of the question and a lot of the city's hardworking masses are quite happy to simply put the breaks on, switch the PCs and work phones off and enjoy, quite simply, doing nothing.

But while a whole lot of doing nothing in the capital is a perfectly acceptable way for urbanites to spend one's Golden Week, as is lying on a beach in St. Lucia or enjoying Michelin-rated cuisine on the French Riviera for the more affluent, each national holiday carries its own special designation and historical or cultural context that society is expected to observe, in some instances, or simply contemplate, in others.

April 29, for example, is Showa Day in Japan and marks the start of the run of national holidays each year and many think back to issues of history.

In the middle of Golden Week, May 3, is garnering the most attention this year, as this day is Constitution Day (known in Japanese as Kenpo kinenbi) and it was on this day in 1947 that new postwar constitution was put into effect, with the day meant to be a mixture of solemn contemplation as well as celebration of the promulgation of the pacifist Constitution, which for the past 70 years has ensured that Japan has been a peaceful country.

This special day, however, could be irrevocably changed in the near future, with the peaceful holiday taking on a far less untroubled if not bellicose meaning, as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been busying himself with his sole political goal of amending the country's war-renouncing constitution and firing up Japan's dormant war machine that was intentionally shut down by the Allied Forces at the end of WWII due to the potential it had proved to wreak havoc on its Asian neighbors in ways so barbaric as to almost defy description.

But fast-forward 70 years and Abe is on the precipice of achieving his goal of amending Article 9 of Japan's Constitution, which stipulates, in essence, that Japan may not maintain forces with war potential, or use war as a means to settle international disputes. It also unequivocally abnegates war, and this pacifist stance has been embraced by the vast majority of Japanese citizens for decades.

After Abe's Cabinet unilaterally decided to reinterpret Article 9 last year, contentious war bills were then forced though both of parliament's chambers by exploiting his ruling coalition's majority, despite opposition parties' views not being taken into consideration and negotiations on the topic cut short, and in spite of a monumental backlash from the Japanese public that saw protests up and down the nation, with numbers and an intensity not seen on the streets in restful, affable Japan, in decades.

The war bills have now been enacted and theoretically the military's operational scope can be demonstrably augmented and Japanese forces can be seen to fight in active theaters alongside its allies overseas, as well as further flex their military muscles in locations and territories closer to home.

But for newlywed Junko Michibita, 36 and her husband Kenji Uno, 41, such vicious matters couldn't seem further away from their minds, as they sip their green tea on a bench in Tokyo's famous Yoyogi Park, enjoying the first signs of humidity as the mercury hovers in the mid-twenties, yet a soothing breeze and a thin layer of cloud offers a perfect natural air-conditioner.

"To be honest I just want to enjoy today and forget all the problems in the world, including the ones facing Japan," she said, adding that the shifting security stance of Japan, coupled with rising instances of war and terrorism overseas had been making her increasingly nervous. More so as she is planning to start a family, as she explained, and simply could not imagine any of her yet to be born children ever having to wear a military uniform and be forced to fight in a war Japan has become embroiled in," Michibata, sporting a simple pastel blue summer dress and white loafers, told Xinhua.

Uno, however, was more outspoken on the issue. Swigging down the last remains of his green tea, he said, "We have a chance to stop this and we will. Abe has a political agenda that has become clearer and clearer. It has nothing to do with the economy. The economy is in the same dreadful state it was in when he became prime minister again," said Uno, an architect for a German firm with a regional office in Toranomon, in Tokyo's upscale Minato Ward.

"He has said he wants to change the Constitution and he has engineered a situation to do so by trying to convince people that the security situation around Japan is changing, and now the current laws and the new role of the Self-Defense Forces are contradictory, with the Constitution not reflecting the current state of affairs, according to Abe," said Uno.

Uno, who said that perhaps unlike some of his Japanese friends, conversations about politics were commonplace in his office as he worked with people from all over the world, particularly from Europe and especially from Germany. He believed that Japan is being slightly hoodwinked by the United States, who has its own agenda in Asia, but needs Japan for its manpower, technology, and, most importantly, its geographical location.

"Make no mistake, Abe wants Japan to have a regular military, for him it's a matter of personal pride and conviction and the U.S. have no trouble exploiting his ego. It may seem like a win-win situation for both countries, but what is the actually point?" asked Uno.

"We're not at war and there has and likely won't ever be any direct threat to Japan as the last 70 years have proved," he said. People are nervous about Democratic People's Republic of Korea's provocations, Uno added, "but we can deal with that along with other countries concerned, and anyway this situation is nothing new."

Meiji Shine just next to the park is another lure for those from all walks of life and offers a tranquil oasis away from the hullaballoo of non-stop Tokyo.

Eiji Yukimura, a 70-something retiree is with his wife and his two grandchildren aged four and seven who seem less than enamored at having to hang out at a shrine and would probably rather be at Disneyland, but, nevertheless are behaving rather well.

"Hiroshima and Nagasaki are the results of war. This can never happen again. Both cities were wiped out by atomic bombs and this must be the first and last time that this ever happens. For this reason and for the future of peace in Japan and the world, I urge the prime minister (Abe) to abandon his plans to change the Constitution," Yukimura said, his face palpably emotional; his eyes imparting something akin to a mixture of deep sorrow and despair.

"This day is a day for us Japanese to remember the value of pacifism and how Japan stands as an example to the world of how an advanced nation has and can live peacefully. When I'm gone I want my grandchildren to inherit a country that is better than the one I love and left. Not a country that is going backwards because of one megalomaniac," exclaimed Yukimura, his tone now distinctly more zealous.

"Abe does not represent the true feeling of the Japanese people. We cherish peace, we have for many decades. We are a friendly nation and have no ill-feelings towards anyone. It's the government that is messing things up," said Yukimura, his escalating passion drawing the attention of the odd passerby at this otherwise serene setting.

"We deserve a government that will guarantee the future peace and safety of our children and grandchildren. There's nothing wrong with the Constitution, only with the one man who wants to change it, so that he can be remembered in the history books. This is not the mark of a truly great leader. This is the mark of a egotist," the elderly man said while whisking a giggling four-year old up into his arms and held him close despite the all-out efforts of the little lad to wriggle free.

"Come on then, let's go to the park," the grandfather said, while striding away, a cool breeze slightly teasing the senior's good head of silvery-grey hair. Endit