A Japanese civic group voiced strong concern over Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's attempt to revise the country's pacifist Constitution, accusing her administration of undermining the political foundation for China-Japan relations through erroneous remarks on China's Taiwan region and military expansion.
Tadashi Aida, head of the Tokyo Bunkyo Peace Committee, a civic organization dedicated to championing peace, expressed deep anxiety over the diplomatic fallout between the two countries arising from Takaichi's erroneous remarks.
"It probably seems only Takaichi could make such outrageous remarks. This raises serious concerns about our diplomatic relations with China. Japan benefits from China in many respects, yet Takaichi disregards all of that and speaks out based on her personal views -- that is truly worrying. The pacifist Constitution is a precious asset for Japan. Regarding issues like the Self-Defense Forces, the Takaichi administration seeks to lower the threshold [for their deployment]. If relevant motions pass in the House of Representatives, the House of Councillors might follow suit, making constitutional revision a real possibility. This is profoundly unsettling," he said.
Takaichi's attempt to revise Constitution deeply disturbing: Japanese civil body
A group of demonstrators gathered in Bulgaria's capital Sofia on Monday to protest against U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran.
The protesters rallied with signs reading "Do not engage war in Iran" and "We do not welcome U.S. military aircraft", to show solidarity with Iran.
"No one has the right to launch an attack on a sovereign country or interfere in its decisions," said Kostadin Kostadinov, chairman of the Bulgarian Revival party, while delivering a speech at the rally.
"The U.S. military equipment should not be brought to Bulgarian territory and the territory cannot be used in any form for military operation against Iran. We demand the U.S. military planes to immediately leave Bulgarian territory. This is not our war. The Iranian people are not our enemy. Iran is not our enemy," Petar Nikolaev Petrov, deputy chairman of the Bulgarian Revival party, said in his speech.
Several U.S. military planes have been deployed at Sofia Airport in recent days, though the Bulgarian government denied that they were linked to U.S. military operations.
The U.S. and Israel on Saturday launched strikes against Iran, plunging the war-torn Middle East into a new round of violence. Iran has retaliated with a series of counterattacks against Israel and U.S. targets across the region.
Protesters rally in Bulgaria against US-Israeli strikes on Iran
