Since the expression 'the constitution never worn thin' was used in the Imperial speech about the Constitution of the Empire of Japan, the Constitution had not been modified for more than 50 years until it was replaced by the Constitution of Japan in 1947.
憲法発布の勅語に「不磨ノ大典」とあったためか、1947年（昭和22年）の日本国憲法施行まで半世紀以上の間、一度も改正されることはなかった。