National constitutions can change entirely without a single amendment
Japan's military recently returned to Southeast Asian soil for the first time since 1945, proving that a nation's fundamental laws can transform without changing a single word.
The Japanese Constitution is famous for Article 9, a clause that explicitly renounces the right to maintain an army or use force to settle international disputes. Yet, in April 2026, over 1,000 Japanese combat troops landed in the Philippines for large-scale military exercises alongside 17,000 international personnel. This was not the result of a constitutional amendment—the document has not been altered since it was written in 1947. Instead, it is the result of 'constitutional drift,' where the meaning of the law is gradually reinterpreted to fit new realities.