There has been a building debate in Japan as its current Prime Minster plans to modify the current pacifist constitution and the debate is specifically around the modification of Article 9. Here is a good summary of the issue from the US Library of Congress:

"Japan’s post-Second World War constitution was born when Japan was occupied by Allied Forces. During the first stage of the occupation, the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces and legislators of the constitution thought Japan would not have a military force again. Article 9 of the Constitution renounces war and prohibits Japan from maintaining the war potential. However, as the United States changed its policy of demilitarizing Japan, the United States asked her to share the burden of maintaining the security of Japan and, for the sake of international peacekeeping, Japan gradually increased its defense capability and developed a somewhat more technical interpretation of article 9. Article 9 does not prohibit Japan from maintaining her defense capability. Article 9 had been popular in Japan for a long time; but as the Japanese started to take their security more seriously, more people have begun to accept the idea of amending article 9 of the Constitution. The ruling party, the Liberal Democratic Party, will bring the Constitutional amendment proposal to the Diet within the next few years."

I was working late last night and decided to head over to the National Diet Building and photograph the mounting protests that have been building there over the past week. Last weekend more than 120,000 people gathered in protest.

Protests in Japan are typically pretty peaceful and really well organized on both sides. I saw this in the protests after the Earthquake in 2011. You can see the police smiling and people giving out Japanese curry to give tired protesters more energy.

Today's Configuration: Leica M Monochrom with a Summicron 28mm f/2.0