Tens of thousands of Japanese people gathered in a park in Tokyo on Sunday, the country's Constitution Memorial Day, calling for honoring Japan's pacifist constitution and opposition to war and arms expansion.
Protesters said that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's dangerous policy agenda, including attempts to revise the pacifist constitution and military expansion, is absolutely unacceptable.
"If they revise the Constitution, it will only intensify international tensions -- especially with neighboring countries -- and increase the risk of war. That's why I firmly oppose it," said a protester.
"The Takaichi administration is now amending Article 9 of the Constitution in a dangerous direction. This is exactly what Japanese militarists did during the imperial era -- they are setting the country on a path to war. We will never tolerate what is happening. At the same time, looking back at the history of the Chinese and other Asian people who were killed, we hope that by opposing the Takaichi administration, we can stop war, face up to past mistakes, and take responsibility for the suffering that the Chinese people continue to endure to this day," another protester said.
Protesters at the rally held signs opposing constitutional revision and military expansion, as well as banners calling for peace and against war -- a clear expression of their deep opposition and concern over the government's push to rebuild Japan's military power.
"For a long time, under Article 9 of the Constitution, Japan has maintained -- at least formally -- the principle of not exporting lethal weapons. This has been the rule that postwar Japan has been required to follow: That we must not start a war. But now, these rules are being completely broken," said a protester.
"I myself did not live through that era, but I believe we are repeating the history we learned about -- and that makes me very angry. At the same time, I feel deeply sorry that such mistakes in history are being repeated. That's why I hope Takaichi steps down as soon as possible. I want to see an end to military expansion," said a protester.
Some Japanese lawmakers attending the rally did not mince words about what they see as the Japanese authorities' duplicity -- saying one thing in public and doing another behind the scenes.
"A few days ago, I went to New York to attend a meeting on the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). There, when the Japanese government was asked by the Chinese side whether it might acquire nuclear weapons, Japan replied, 'Because we have the Three Non-Nuclear Principles, Japan will not possess nuclear weapons.' In other words, on the international stage, the Japanese government uses the existence of the Three Non-Nuclear Principles as a reason to say it won't acquire nuclear weapons -- but at home, it is pushing to revise those principles. This inconsistency fills me with anger. I think that this kind of deceptive approach -- misleading the international community while trying to acquire nuclear weapons -- must never be allowed," said Yoshiko Kira, a member of Japan's House of Councillors.
Tens of thousands of Japanese rally in Tokyo to defend pacifist constitution
