Japanese protesters denounce US-Japan "2+2" talks, Quad meeting

Crowds of activists have marched through central Tokyo to protest against "2+2" security talks between Japan and the United States and a Quad foreign ministers' meeting, saying the U.S.-led military alliance will increase the possibility of war. Top Japanese and U.S. diplomats and defense chiefs held the Japan-U.S. Security Consultative Committee meeting, known as "2+2", in Tokyo on Sunday, followed by a meeting on Monday of the Quad group, where the foreign ministers of Australia, India, Japan and the U.S. discussed maritime security and initiatives to strengthen cyber defenses.

In the "2+2" security talks, the U.S. announced plans for a major revamp of its military command in Japan to deepen coordination with the Japanese forces.

Not far from the meeting venue, the protesters marched to denounce the meetings for fueling tensions in the Asia-Pacific region.

They said strengthening U.S.-Japan military ties will only accelerate the arms race and drive the country closer to war.

"I think this agreement will eventually unify the U.S. military and the self-defense forces, strengthening their cooperation, unifying the chain of command, which clearly has China in mind and is a posturing for war. I strongly object to this," said Tomoko Horaguchi from Suginami Ward Council.

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa said the Quad grouping was about protecting the foundations of prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region, and achieving co-existence with the international community. But protesters said beefing up the security pact will only fuel tensions in the region, amid ongoing conflicts across the globe.

In an interview with China Central Television (CCTV) on Monday in Tokyo, Ukeru Magosai, head of the East Asian Community Institute, said that the deepening of cooperation in military and other fields between Japan and the U.S. risked inflaming the situation in the Asia-Pacific region and threaten regional security and stability.

"The U.S. will avoid direct involvement in the war as much as possible, but increase its options by using Japan's self-defense forces. It is the biggest goal of the U.S. to utilize Japan's self-defense forces for its strategic purposes. It is said that Japan and the U.S. jointly command the integrated system, but in reality it is the U.S. that judges the situation and makes decisions. In the future, Japan may be automatically drawn into various situations," he said.

Magosai said that the U.S. attempt to strengthen the so-called "extended deterrence" and place its allies under its "nuclear umbrella" will only increase regional tensions and push Japan to the forefront of conflict and confrontation.

Although Japan's security situation has not changed for a long time, he said, the Japanese government has been intensifying its military and diplomatic ties with the U.S. on the grounds of security, helping it intervene in the Asia-Pacific region and stoke regional tensions.

"What the U.S. is doing now is stirring tensions by binding Japan to issues that have nothing to do with Japan's security. Japan's response will further disturb the regional situation," he said.

Japanese protesters denounce US-Japan "2+2" talks, Quad meeting

Thailand's rural tradition of elephant stewardship is rapidly vanishing as livelihoods change and younger people pursue opportunities elsewhere, threatening centuries of irreplaceable elephant-care knowledge.

For generations, mahouts in the region have passed on their tradition of closely bonding with the elephants they care for. Taweesuk Lapsan is one of a dwindling number of mahouts who diligently carry on the practice.

Long before the sun rises over the fields, he was already at work, gathering bundles of food for an animal that had been part of his family for generations.

"We've had elephants since our grandparents' and great-grandparents' generations. We've been around elephants our whole lives, so we have a strong connection and experience in raising them. That's how we've been able to live with them like this," the mahout said.

Caring for his elephant was not merely a job, but an inherited way of life. Years of daily coexistence forged an intimate bond defined by an intuitive understanding of subtle movements, sounds, and hesitations that take a lifetime to master.

"We live together like this. It's like a family. We're like family; we always go through things together. Until we breathe our last, it just depends on who lives longer," said Taweesuk.

Mahouts and elephants have been woven into parts of Thailand's cultural landscape, from rural livelihoods and traditional practices. However, the tradition has been upended by the collapse of the commercial logging industry and the rapid expansion of tourism.

As fewer young people follow in their families' footsteps, conservationists warned that an intricate system of animal care, refined over centuries, faces gradual extinction.

"When a mahout disappears, they are replaced by people who simply come in to take care of the elephants, essentially, elephant keepers. There are differences in terms of the bond between the keeper and the elephant, the cultural aspects, and the passing down of knowledge and traditions from one generation to the next. So we are concerned about the quality," said Parntep Ratanakorn, Secretary General of the Asian Elephant Foundation of Thailand.

Taweesuk said that his daughters may choose paths far removed from the stables, a decision he fully respects. As the practice fades, experts warn the loss extends far beyond a vanishing cultural heritage, threatening the daily welfare safety nets upon which captive elephants rely.

Thailand's centuries-old elephant care tradition face extinction as livelihoods change