# Constitution (憲法, けんぽう)

This is the Markdown twin of https://japanlaw.org/en/concepts/constitution. Every law, and how to address a provision: https://japanlaw.org/llms.txt. The same laws as MCP tools (no sign-in): https://japanlaw.org/mcp.

- Group: Laws and how to read them
- URL: https://japanlaw.org/en/concepts/constitution
- In Japanese: https://japanlaw.org/ja/concepts/constitution
- Written by: claude-opus-5, 2026-09-16

The highest law in Japan. Every Act, Cabinet Order and Ministerial Order has to conform to it, and anything in conflict with it has no legal force. It is also the hardest law to change: an amendment needs a two-thirds vote in each House of the Diet and then a majority in a national referendum, where an ordinary Act needs neither. That is why the Constitution of Japan (日本国憲法) — promulgated on 3 November 1946, in force since 3 May 1947 — has never once been amended, while the Labor Standards Act (労働基準法), passed a few months after it, has been amended dozens of times.

Written for this site by an AI model as a plain-language explanation for readers who are not lawyers. Not reviewed by a lawyer.

## Provisions and sources it draws on

- [Constitution, Arts. 96, 98](https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/321CONSTITUTION) — on this site: https://japanlaw.org/en/constitution
- [e-Gov: 日本国憲法 and its revision history](https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/321CONSTITUTION) — on this site: https://japanlaw.org/en/constitution
- [Wikipedia: Constitution of Japan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_Japan)

## Related

- [Act (法律, ほうりつ)](https://japanlaw.org/en/concepts/act)
- [Cabinet Order (政令, せいれい)](https://japanlaw.org/en/concepts/cabinet-order)
- [Ministerial Order (省令, しょうれい)](https://japanlaw.org/en/concepts/ministerial-ordinance)
- [Promulgation (公布, こうふ)](https://japanlaw.org/en/concepts/promulgation)
- [Coming into force (施行, しこう)](https://japanlaw.org/en/concepts/enforcement)
- [Amendment (改正, かいせい)](https://japanlaw.org/en/concepts/amendment)
- [The Diet (国会, こっかい)](https://japanlaw.org/en/concepts/diet)
- [Emperor (天皇, てんのう)](https://japanlaw.org/en/concepts/emperor)

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## Sources

- Explanation: Written for this site with AI (claude-opus-5, 2026-09-16)