Japan's accelerated military expansion and attempts to move toward nuclear armament require the highest vigilance, Japanese scholars said.
From making erroneous remarks on China's Taiwan region and introducing military expansion policies, to attempting to abandon the Three Non-Nuclear Principles and promote nuclear armament, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's administration is seeking to accelerate Japan's political rightward shift, said the the scholars.
Kanako Takayama, a professor at Kyoto University, said that Takaichi's erroneous remarks on Taiwan have undermined the existing international legal order and must be retracted, and the Japanese government's substantial military expansion will have negative impacts not only domestically but also on the international and regional situation.
"Takaichi's erroneous remarks have clearly undermined the existing international legal order. I believe there is no choice but to retract them. There is no way to gloss over this. I believe militarism is being revived. The Japanese government is now favoring specific industries, such as the military industry. This poses a threat to neighboring countries. Moreover, other industries will gradually be drawn into it. In the various research fields we are engaged in, there is also an overwhelming shift towards military research. The budgets for areas where Japan originally had strengths, such as manufacturing technology and knowledge research, are continuously being cut," Kanako Takayama said.
"Japan's overall national strength is declining. What remains is just continuously purchasing weapons, allowing those involved in the arms industry to profit. This not only poses a threat to neighboring countries but also oppresses the lives of us, the Japanese people. I believe there is hardly any aspect of this that is beneficial," she said.
Meanwhile, Japanese political economist Kazuyuki Hamada said concerning discussions on nuclear armament among top government officials, the public must remain highly vigilant against Japan's nuclear armament efforts.
"Recently, voices within Takaichi's official residence have privately suggested that Japan should achieve nuclear armament. They claim that Japan has long been ready in terms of technology and uranium reserves, and that if it makes up its mind, it could complete nuclear armament within three months. Although these remarks were made in private settings, they come from core aides within the prime minister's office," Kazuyuki Hamada said.
"If Japan abandons the Three Non-Nuclear Principles and moves toward nuclear armament, from the perspective of global security, peace, and prosperity, it is an extremely high-risk choice. This is a very dangerous way of thinking that requires the public's high vigilance," he said.
The Three Non-Nuclear Principles, not possessing, not producing and not allowing the introduction of nuclear weapons into Japanese territory, were first declared in the Diet, Japan's parliament, by then Japanese Prime Minister Eisaku Sato in 1967 and viewed as a national credo.
Japan's accelerated militarization, nuclear ambitions raise alarm: Japanese scholars
American singer John Legend expressed his astonishment at the scale and quality of the China Media Group (CMG)'s 2026 Spring Festival Gala and his honor at being a part of the grand television spectacle which has been recognized as the world's most-watched annual TV show.
The hours-long gala was aired on Monday evening on the eve of the Chinese New Year, with a carefully curated line-up of performances, high-tech special effects, and entertaining variety acts guiding viewers towards the new year -- which this year ushered in the Year of the Horse.
As the clock ticked past midnight on Tuesday, Legend took to the stage to perform his chart-topping hit "All of Me", before teaming up with French actress and singer Helene Rolles to deliver a touching rendition of the main theme song of the classic Disney movie "Beauty and the Beast".
In an exclusive interview with the China Global Television Network (CGTN), Legend said he was delighted to participate in the TV extravaganza.
"Wow, I've been so amazed by all the other artists that I've seen. The dancers, the singers, the performers. It's such a beautiful, festive show and I'm so honored to be a part of it," said Legend.
While China's Spring Festival is the most cherished time for celebrating family reunions and making people-to-people connections, Legend felt the message of love in his hit song 'All of Me' was especially fitting for the occasion, and shared the story behind how the classic 2013 hit was born.
"These songs are all about love, and I think music is really in a lot of ways about celebrating love and celebrating connection and celebrating our shared humanity. And I think it's a great, great way to bring in the new year here in China. I'm doing 'All of Me' at this performance. And no matter where I perform 'All of Me' around the world, people sing along. People feel connected to the song, people have memories associated with the song, whether it's their wedding or their first date or whatever feelings they have about love and relationships, that song has meant a lot to a lot of people all around the world, and it just shows you that deep down, we're all the same," he said.
"I wrote it right before I got married to my wife and she did cry the first time she heard it, and the first time I sang it in front of an audience was at our wedding. And we filmed the music video that same week in Italy during the week of our wedding. And so it will always be really meaningful to me, but I'm grateful that it's so meaningful to other people as well," he added.
In addition to Legend, Irish pop group Westlife also performed during the gala, as they gave an entertaining version of their iconic ballad, "My Love", while veteran U.S. singer Lionel Ritchie was among the other international stars who appeared in an earlier segment.
The Spring Festival, or the Chinese New Year, is the most important traditional holiday for the Chinese people, and watching the Spring Festival Gala, also known as "Chunwan", is a cherished part of the celebrations every year in hundreds of millions of Chinese homes.
Since first being broadcast in 1983, the gala has been recognized by Guinness World Records as the most-watched annual television program on the planet.
US singing star John Legend shares honor at being part of 2026 Spring Festival Gala
