Documents with Commentaries Part 2 Creation of Various Proposals to Reform the Constitution
The Constitution Investigation Association was established based on the suggestion of Iwasaburo Takano at a gathering to arrange for the foundation of the Japanese Culture League on October 29, 1945 with the intention that private citizens should prepare a study of the enactment of the Constitution. Constitutional scholar Yasuzo Suzuki took on the duties of the secretariat supported by Kojiro Sugimori, Tatsuo Morito, and Tatsuo Iwabuchi among others. Suzuki drafted the first, second and the third and final proposals based on debates held by the Association, and on December 26 the Association submitted its "Constitution Draft Outline" to the Cabinet and announced it to the press. Sugimori, who was fluent in English, took the draft to GHQ. This draft led off with the fundamental principle of "Sovereignty deriving from the People" which rejected the sovereignty of the Emperor. It applied the principle of popular sovereignty while at the same time preserving the continuation of the Emperor System in which the Emperor performs the national ceremonies. Stipulations were also made in concrete terms for human rights, specific social rights and the right to life without reservation.
GHQ expressed a keen interest in this draft, and the Allied Translator and Interpreter Service (ATIS) made a full translation of it. Lieutenant Colonel Milo E. Rowell of Government Section studied it in detail and submitted his report together with the ATIS translation to the Chief of Staff. In addition George C. Atcheson, Political Adviser to GHQ, sent a report on it to the U.S. Secretary of State.
| Actual Title of Source | Kenpo Soan Yoko, Kenpo Kenkyukai An |
|---|---|
| Date | [Announced December 26, 1945] |
| Document Number | Irie Toshio Papers: 11 |
| Repository (reproduction) | |
| Repository | National Diet Library |
| Note |
