The name of Matsumoto’s “Constitutional Problem Investigation Committee” was deliberately worded to avoid mention of “revision” or “amendment,” and he took care to make sure no one missed the innuendo. “The Committee does not necessarily aim at the revision of the constitution,” he announced. “The purpose of its investigation is to determine whether any amendment may be necessary, and, if so, what are the points to be amended.”10 This was not mere bravado. A few years after these events had played their course, Matsumoto ruefully confided that “we thought we could handle the matter as we
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