Recounts the intense debate in the revision committee over Article 9, renouncing war and armed forces, and the contents of the bill of rights (Chapter III). The chapter reveals sharp quarrels between Chairman Ashida Hitoshi and representatives of the left about viewing the Weimar Constitution as a model for Japan's new democracy. It sets forth the debate over human rights: what would be the status of religion under the new constitutional structure? Would Japan's traditional family structure survive in the new emphasis on the rights of individuals? A notable speech by a newly elected female member, Katō Shizue, and rejoinders by Kimura Tokutarō and Tanaka Kōtarō, ministers of justice and education, respectively, explored these questions.
Keywords: Ashida Hitoshi, human rights, Tanaka Kōtarō, pacifism (Article 9), religion, Yoshida Shigeru, Katō Shizue, Kimura Tokutarō, Weimar Constitution, women and the family