Democracy Dies in DarknessPrime Minister Sanae Takaichi has made revising the constitution a priority amid rising security threats in Asia, but any change is highly sensitive.April 16, 2026 at 5:00 a.m. EDTYesterday at 5:00 a.m. EDTProtesters gather March 25 outside the parliament in Tokyo to call for protecting the pacifist clause in the country's constitution. (Louise Delmotte/Getty Images) and TOKYO — As a security hawk, Japan’s prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, has initiated a plan to consider changes to the pacifist clause in the country’s constitution, which has constrained its military and defined its national identity since World War II.