Documents with Commentaries Part 1 Military Defeat and Efforts to Reform the Constitution
To further the study of the problem of constitutional reform, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs invited Toshiyoshi Miyazawa, a professor at the Imperial University of Tokyo, to give a lecture. Miyazawa was an extraordinary constitutional scholar himself among the students of Tatsukichi Minobe. These documents present the argument that the Meiji Constitution already sufficiently supported trends towards democracy, and expressed the opinion that it would be possible to achieve the spirit of the Potsdam Declaration through revisions to the Meiji Constitution. Miyazawa's opinions at this point were to be reflected in the deliberations and drafting of the "Constitutional Reform Proposal" (Proposal B) prepared by the Constitutional Problems Investigation Committee where Miyazawa would become a key member.
| Actual Title of Source | "Potsudamu" Sengen ni Motozuku Kenpo, Dofuzoku Horei Kaisei Yoten Miyazawa Toshiyoshi Kyoju Ko (Showa Niju-hachi Nen Ku Gatsu Niju-hachi Nichi okeru Gaimusho) |
|---|---|
| Date | September 28, 1945 |
| Document Number | Diplomatic Records A' 3.0.0.2-2 "Certain Materials on the Examination of the Reform of the Imperial Constitution (Volume 1)"<GAI-1, Reel No. A'-0092> |
| Repository (reproduction) | National Diet Library |
| Repository | Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
| Note | Microfilm |
