The Philippine Constitution during the Japanese Colonization Era

History of the 1943 Constitution

The US approved a ten-year transition plan in 1934 and drafted a new constitution in 1935, also known as the Commonwealth Constitution. However, this plan is interrupted because of World War II and the Japanese invasion on December 8, 1941.
During World War II, the Japanese-sponsored government nullified the 1935 Constitution and appointed Preparatory Committee on Philippine Independence to replace it. The 1943 Constitution was used by the Second Republic with Jose P. Laurel as President.

Preparatory Commission for Independence Chairman Jose P. Laurel addresses a public gathering; youths march to celebrate the signing of a draft constitution in the Philippines

After heroic Filipino resistance against overwhelming odds finally ended with the fall of Bataan and Corregidor in 1942, a Japanese “republic” was established, in reality, a period of military rule by the Japanese Imperial Army.

Philippine independence was eventually achieved on July 4, 1946. The 1935 Constitution, which featured a political system virtually identical to the American one, became operative. The system called for a President to be elected at large for a 4-year term (subject to one re-election), a bicameral Congress, and an independent Judiciary.

Adopting the new Japanese sponsored government system in the Philippines

The 1943 Constitution

This is the constitution of the Japanese-sponsored Second Republic of the Philippines (1943-1945). It was ratified in 1943 by Filipino collaborators who were called the Kapisanan sa Paglilingkod ng Bagong Pilipinas (Kalibapi). An active guerilla movement continued to resist the Japanese occupation. It was recognized as legitimate and binding only in Japanese-controlled areas of the Philippines but was ignored by the United States government and the Philippine Commonwealth government in-exile.

Drafting of the new Constitution in the new Japanese sponsored government

The Japanese forces were finally defeated by the Allies in 1944 and this sorry chapter came to a close. Philippine independence was successfully attained on July 4, 1946. The 1935 Constitution, which had a political structure substantially comparable to the American one, became functional.