Japanese rally against Takaichi's remarks, warn of militarist drift

A group of Japanese residents gathered for a protest in downtown Tokyo on Tuesday evening, demanding Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi retract her erroneous statements on China’s Taiwan region and expressing growing alarm over her administration's policies.

At a Diet meeting on Nov. 7, Takaichi claimed that the Chinese mainland's "use of force on Taiwan" could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan and implied the possibility of armed intervention in the Taiwan Strait, which has immediately sparked strong criticism at home and abroad.

The Tuesday demonstration, marking continued domestic dissent, saw participants call on the prime minister to cease what they described as war-mongering rhetoric and to withdraw her comments immediately.

"I believe she should clearly retract the erroneous remarks. Right now, they seem to be trying to gloss over them. Takaichi simply lacks the qualifications of a stateswoman," a protester said.

Protesters related the issue to a broader historical context.

"Regarding Japanese militarist aggression, Japan has never truly reflected or apologized. Against this backdrop, Takaichi is now showing an unrepentant attitude toward the Chinese people once again and even attempting to provoke another war. This is absolutely not allowed," said a protester.

The rally also voiced strong opposition to recent political shifts, including discussions by some officials about Japan potentially acquiring nuclear weapons and revising its longstanding "Three Non-Nuclear Principles."

"Japan is now discussing policies, including a review of the 'Three Non-Nuclear Principles,' which means moving toward nuclear armament. Japan is a nation that suffered atomic bombings. Nuclear war must never be allowed," a protester warned.

Public concerns further extend to the government's fiscal priorities. A newly approved supplementary budget for fiscal 2025 pushes defense spending to 2 percent of GDP, a move that has deepened anxieties about everyday living costs.

"Everything the Takaichi administration does completely contradicts what the Japanese people actually want. They say the funding will come from issuing government bonds, and raising the consumption tax and income tax. But isn't this utterly destroying people's livelihoods? Already, more and more people can't even afford festival treats, or even rice. Under these circumstances, what they [the Takaichi administration] are doing from their positions of power is completely opposite to the lives of ordinary citizens. So, it's only natural that [this administration] deserves to be overthrown," said one protester.

The protest was upset by right-wing counter-demonstrators, who shouted and attempted to obstruct the march, highlighting the polarized domestic climate surrounding these issues.

Japanese rally against Takaichi's remarks, warn of militarist drift

Japanese rally against Takaichi's remarks, warn of militarist drift

Japanese rally against Takaichi's remarks, warn of militarist drift

Japan should earnestly fulfill its nuclear safety responsibilities and put itself under international supervision to alleviate the concerns of the international community, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said at a press briefing in Beijing on Wednesday.

He made the remarks in response to a media query about leakage of water containing radioactive substances at the decommissioning site of the nuclear reactor Fugen in Fukui Prefecture in central Japan on Tuesday, raising the possibility that several workers may have been exposed to radiation.

"This incident has once again exposed serious flaws in Japan's nuclear facility operations, operational maintenance capabilities, and nuclear safety oversight. For some time now, a series of nuclear facility safety incidents in Japan have raised concern, including fraud of quality inspection data for radiation detectors at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant and an overflow accident involving spent fuel pool cooling water at the reprocessing plant in the village of Rokkasho, Aomori Prefecture. Against the backdrop of various problems such as aging nuclear facilities, chaotic management, and inadequate regulation, Japan has still decided to restart the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant, which previously experienced a spent fuel pool cooling water overflow incident. This has already sparked opposition and protests among the Japanese public," said Lin.

"China urges Japan to fully draw lessons from the Fukushima nuclear accident, earnestly fulfill its nuclear safety responsibilities, promptly provide information and take effective measures, properly handle the decommissioning of nuclear power plants and the disposal of radioactive waste, and voluntarily accept international oversight so as to reduce concerns in the international community. This incident further demonstrates that the international community needs to continue strengthening comprehensive oversight and monitoring of the management of Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water discharge into the sea and the operation of related equipment, in order to safeguard the safety of the marine environment," he said.

Japan should accept int'l supervision on nuclear safety: spokesman