Yet the pressure for fundamental change – particularly of Article 9, which putatively pledges that Japan will never maintain armed forces – is such that there is a real chance that these obstacles can and will be overcome. Fundamental change, indeed, is needed as soon as possible, because current interpretations of the constitution have consistently distorted Japan’s security and defense policies.
除了这些分歧之外，还有如何修正宪法的问题。要对宪法进行修正首先要通过新的立法，这需要时间，甚至更多的辩论。然而，重大改革的压力——尤其是对公开宣称日本永远放弃使用武力的第九条进行改革的压力——如此巨大，使得这些障碍能够并且将被克服的真正机会已经来临。其实，这些重大改革应当越快越好，因为现行的宪法版本长期以来歪曲了日本的安全和防卫政策。