Wednesday 20 May 2026
12:00pm – 1:15pm (UK) / 8:00pm – 9:15pm (Japan)

The Takaichi Administration and Japan's Peace Constitution

Online webinar, accessible remotely via Zoom

Organised by the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation

In the midst of the Iran conflict, the United States, under the Trump administration, has pressured Japan and other allies to provide support, particularly regarding the situation in the Strait of Hormuz. During the Japan–US summit in March 2026, this issue received significant attention.

At the same time, Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution – enacted after World War II – played an important role in shaping Japan’s response. Article 9 limits Japan’s capability to participate in military conflicts, and it seemed to constrain how much Takaichi’s administration could commit to during the summit discussions.

In this webinar, Professor Koichi Nakano will explain from a historical perspective the shifting and contested boundaries of what Japan can and cannot do under Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution. He will also share his views on Japan’s strategic position beyond Article 9, and examine the ongoing debates among Japan’s political parties about constitutional amendment.

About the contributors

Professor Koichi Nakano

Koichi Nakano is a Professor of Political Science at the Faculty of Liberal Arts, Sophia University, and was a Visiting Scholar at the Weatherhead Program on US–Japan Relations at Harvard University (2024-2025). He has a BA in Philosophy from the University of Tokyo, a second BA in Philosophy and Politics from the University of Oxford and an MA and PhD from Princeton University. He specialises in the comparative politics of advanced industrial democracies, with a focus on Japan, and in political theory. His recent research has centred on topics including constitutional politics and civic activism, neoliberal globalisation and nationalism, and national security and democracy in East Asia. He has published widely in English and in Japanese, and has been a frequent contributor to Japanese and international media. At Harvard, he conducted research on the transformation of one-party dominance in Japan in the context of rising tensions between the US and China.

Dr Alexander Rotard (Moderator)

Alexander Rotard is a Lecturer in East Asian Studies at the University of Leeds and a historian of modern Japan and Korea specialising in imperialism and colonialism, with a particular focus on Japan’s colonisation of Korea. His research examines Japanese imperial discourse and its role in shaping international understandings of Japan’s expansion on the Korean peninsula, as well as its enduring influence on Japan–Korea relations. He holds a BA in Japanese and French from the University of Leeds and an MSc in Empires, Colonialism and Globalisation from the London School of Economics and Political Science. He completed his PhD at Hitotsubashi University as a MEXT scholar, writing in Japanese on the role of The Japan Times in justifying the colonisation of Korea to international audiences. He teaches modules Japan–Korea Relations in the Shadow of Empire, Modern Japanese History, and Japan’s International Relations, taking a historical approach to how past events shape contemporary East Asian politics. His current research focuses on the Korean ‘other’ in Japanese imperial thought, particularly the role of Zumoto Motosada in shaping Western public opinion of Japan and the legitimacy of its empire