A group of Japanese people held a rally in Tokyo's Shinjuku district on Saturday evening to express their opposition to the Japanese government's push toward military expansion.
Protesters criticized the dangerous policies pursued by the government of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, including attempts to revise the country's pacifist Constitution and deployment of long-range missiles.
Japan's Constitution, which took effect in 1947, is often referred to as the pacifist Constitution because Article 9 states that the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes.
Takaichi and other right-wing politicians have long sought to amend Article 9. The prime minister's recent remarks reaffirming her commitment to constitutional revision have raised widespread concerns in the country.
"If a real war breaks out, I can only say that [Japan] would lose in an instant. Even if it has missiles and tanks, there's probably no energy to power them, right? Even an amateur can see that clearly, so all I can say is, please stop [inciting war]," said a protester.
"Japan already has a pacifist Constitution, which means it has renounced war and the use of force. Even if the 'exclusively defense-oriented policy' is acknowledged, it is clearly a violation of the Constitution. This is absolutely unacceptable, and I oppose it," said another protester.
"Constitutional revision has now become possible, and the defense budget has already been passed. But I still want to emphasize that this is not the right way to go. We still hope not to head toward war. I hope that [Takaichi], as prime minister, will speak from the standpoint of truly protecting the safety of the people," said a protester.
The Takaichi administration has shifted its priority from people's livelihood to military expansion, a dangerous move which protesters have expressed strong dissatisfaction with and firm opposition to. "[Takaichi] lacks integrity and also does not have an attitude of listening to the opinions of those around her," said a protester. "Takaichi's political line makes people feel anxious and afraid. She constantly makes provocative and troublesome remarks to other countries, which also creates instability in the daily lives of the public. This is extremely problematic. I hope [Takaichi] resigns now," said another protester.
Japanese rally in Tokyo to protest against govt's push for military expansion
