"Funniest Song" quote from reviewer Richard Foss - The Los Angeles Reader.
Saturday's post "March of Folly: China Calls U.S. Position on Japan-China Dispute "Betrayal" got me thinking about the Japanese constitution, specifically Article 9:
ARTICLE 9. Aspiring sincerely to an international peace based on
justice and order, the Japanese people forever renounce war as a
sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of
settling international disputes. (2) To accomplish the aim of
the preceding paragraph, land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war
potential, will never be maintained. The right of belligerency of the state will not be recognized.
-U.S. Library of Congress
Prime Minister Abe really, really wants to get rid of Article 9 and after the December elections has a super-duper [technical term] majority, 76%, of lower house members who feel the same way.
One of my senior partners used to get drunk and sing:
Announcer:1945
Announcer:World War II over
Announcer:Japan is in the doghouse
Announcer:Occupational forces calling the shots
Announcer: General McArthur, he say...
General McArthur: Divine Emperor is lousy way to run a country
General McArthur: Japan need modern constitution
General McArthur: And we going to write it for you
Japanese person: Uh oh
General McArthur: Going to be just like US constitution
Japanese person: Much Better
General McArthur: With one difference... Article Nine
Japanese person: Article nine?
General McArthur: Article Nine say....
General McArthur: Japan not allowed to have army
Japanese person: Oh no
General McArthur: Japan not allowed to have navy
Japanese person: Oh, very bad news
General McArthur: Japan not allowed to build expensive weapons systems they never plan to use
Japanese person: Not fair
General McArthur: Japan have to rely on US for defense
Japanese person: You're kidding...
He'd go on to talk about the economic advantages of having someone else provide for your national defense.
I thought he was making it up. He wasn't, it's a song. Lyrics via www.com-www.com..
Here's John Forster:
