Documents with Commentaries

2-14 Ichiro Kiyose, "Thoughts on Amendments to Articles of the Constitution," December 22, 1945

 This document consists of amendment texts extracted from an article that was published in the December 1945 issue of Horitsu Shinpo [Legal News]. Because there was little protection of fundamental human rights before Japan's defeat and it was apparent that the Diet was unable to function as a force to democratize the government, there were three points presented as proposed amendments to six articles in the Constitution. They were: 1. Ministers of State to be responsible to the Diet, 2. Expansion of the authority of the Diet and democratization of the House of Peers, 3. Reform of the judiciary to protect the right of liberty.

 Ichiro Kiyose was elected 14 times to the House of Representatives starting in 1920. He was involved with the Progressive Party's efforts to produce a draft of constitutional reforms, but was ousted from public office in January of 1946. Kiyose, a lawyer, was the head of Hideki Tojo's legal counsel at the International Military Tribunal for the Far East. After he reentered politics, he became the Minister of Education, under the third Hatoyama Cabinet and went on to become the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Actual Title of Source Kiyose Ichiroshi no Kenpo Kaisei Joko Shiken (Horitsu Shinpo, Showa Nijunen Junigatsu Go Shosai, Doshi, "Kenpo Kaisei Rongi no Shoten" Yori Tekiroku)
Date  
Document Number Irie Toshio Papers: 11
Repository (reproduction)  
Repository National Diet Library
Note  
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