Debating Japan’s Constitution: On the Streets, In Parliament, and In the Region

Constitutional Revision in Japan Research Project Conference

This conference is the third and culminating event in a series of gatherings since the establishment of a joint research agreement between the Harvard University Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies and the Keio University Faculty of Law in 2015. The focus of this conference is civil society activism and participation in the debate surrounding constitutional revision in Japan, as well as the current debate as an aspect of Japanese domestic politics and international relations.

12:30-1:50pm Panel 1: Regional Perspectives on Japan’s Constitutional Debates
Moderator: Franziska Seraphim, Associate Professor of History, Boston College
Presenter: Yoshihide Soeya, Professor of International Relations, Keio University
Discussant: Sheila Smith, Senior Fellow for Japanese Studies, Council on Foreign Relations

2:00-3:45pm Panel 2: Popular Sovereignty and Civic Activism
Moderator: Alexis Dudden, Professor of History, University of Connecticut
Presenters: Keigo Komamura, Professor of Law, Vice President, Keio University; Kōichi Nakano, Professor of Political Science, Sophia University; and Sungmoon Kim, Professor of Political Theory, City University of Hong Kong
Discussant: Ingu Hwang, Korea Foundation Visiting Assistant Professor of International Studies, Boston College

3:55-5:15pm Panel 3: Legality and Legitimacy in East Asian Constitutionalism
Moderator: Timothy George, Professor of History, University of Rhode Island
Presenters: Weitseng Chen, Assistant Professor of Law, National University of Singapore; and Christian Winkler, Lecturer, Hokkaido University
Discussant: Mari Miura, Professor of Political Science, Sophia University

5:15-6:00pm Wrap-up Session
Keigo Komamura and Helen Hardacre

Event details on conference website: http://projects.iq.harvard.edu/crrp/event/20171103

Sponsored by the Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies. Co-sponsored by the Asia Center, Harvard-Yenching Institute, Program on U.S.-Japan Relations, and EALS.