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The Annotated Constitution of Japan: A Handbook for the first time makes the entirety of Japan's constitution accessible in English. The book consists of a historical and contextual overview of how the constitution came into being, followed by descriptions of each of its 103 articles; the meaning of the text, interpretive disputes, academic theories and leading cases arising under them. The book also points out the many subtle distinctions between the English version and the Japanese, some of which arose from the charter's unique provenance. With contributors representing a broad range of expertise in various areas of Japanese law, the book is written to appeal to academics, students and general readers alike. It is intended to be the first port of call for anyone needing to understand the fundamentals of Japanese constitutional law, whether from the perspective of Japanese studies, comparative law, or political science, but unable to access the text and related literature available in Japanese. Key reference documents in English and Japanese are included as appendices for ease of reference

Introduction -- Earthquakes and urban reconstruction -- Kobe and the Hanshin earthquake -- The planning and reconstruction response -- Protest, participation, and the Phoenix Plan -- Neighbourhood case studies -- Symbolic projects and the local economy -- Conclusion -- Appendices. Chronology of the ten-year reconstruction period in Kobe (1995-2005) ; National government relief and recovery measures ; Major reconstruction actions taken by local government in 1995.