Japanese people protest against US-Israeli war on Iran and gov't push to revise constitution

Nearly 1,000 Japanese people held a rally in front of Shinjuku Station in Tokyo on Sunday to express their opposition to the U.S.-Israeli airstrikes against Iran and protest against the push of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's administration to revise the pacifist constitution.

Holding placards calling for peace and chanting anti-war slogans, the protesters voiced their strong opposition to the ongoing U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict as it entered its 30th day on Sunday.

"I am very angry. That is not right. I believe peace is the most important thing. They are messing up the whole world for the benefit of a few, making everyone feel uneasy every single day," said a protester.

Recently, the Japanese government has accelerated increase in defense spending and given the green light to deploy long-range missiles in Kumamoto, Shizuoka, and other locations, sparking strong public discontent.

"Rather than military expansion, our lives are already very difficult now. I want the prime minister to first consider using money for our current lives and for the future of the children. The actions of the Japanese government are unacceptable. I also want to become an adult who takes responsibility for the next generation," said a protester.

"If the constitution is amended (under the Takaichi administration), it would become a very serious matter. So I think we must stop it no matter what," said a protester.

Regarding the incident on March 24 when an active-duty Self-Defense Forces (SDF) officer forcible intruded into the Chinese embassy in Tokyo, participants at the rally said that the Japanese government must apologize and seriously discipline those involved.

"That Self-Defense Forces member is truly unforgivable. Prime Minister Takaichi and Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi only said it was 'regrettable,' but they did not apologize to China. I want to protest against this. I believe they must first apologize to China. After that, they should resign. Including the erroneous remarks on Taiwan earlier, I feel they must apologize for that as well," said a protester.

Japanese people protest against US-Israeli war on Iran and gov't push to revise constitution

Japanese people protest against US-Israeli war on Iran and gov't push to revise constitution

Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Thursday presided over a State Council executive meeting that studied work on building a unified national market and reviewed and approved a plan for the development of a modern emergency response system during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030).

Noting that building a unified national market is essential to advancing high-quality development, the meeting called for deepening institutional frameworks in areas such as property rights protection, market access, fair competition, social credit and market exit mechanisms.

The meeting also urged efforts to advance high-standard connectivity of market infrastructure to facilitate smooth economic circulation and effectively reduce logistics costs across society.

Emergency management is critical to protecting people's lives and property, the meeting said. It called for accelerating the development of a modern emergency response system, deepening reform and innovation in emergency management, and improving coordinated response mechanisms.

Efforts should be made to strengthen risk prevention at the source, enhance monitoring, forecasting and early warning, and accelerate a shift in governance toward proactive prevention, according to the meeting.

A draft revision of the Law on the People's Bank of China was also discussed and approved in principle at the meeting, which decided to submit the draft to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress for deliberation.

Chinese premier chairs State Council executive meeting