Thousands rally in Tokyo against Takaichi's constitutional revision, military expansion

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Thousands rally in Tokyo against Takaichi's constitutional revision, military expansion

2026-05-20 17:42 Last Updated At：05-21 14:12

Tens of thousands of Japanese citizens gathered at the National Diet Building in Tokyo on Tuesday to protest against the Takaichi administration's recent moves undermining the country's pacifist constitution.

Protesters held signs with slogans calling for the protection of Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution, opposing its revision, and demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

Some protesters expressed strong concerns over the government's recent actions, including lifting the ban on lethal weapons export, significantly increasing defense spending, and initiating revisions to the Three Non-Nuclear Principles.

Japan's Constitution, which took effect in 1947, is often referred to as a pacifist constitution, as Article 9 states that the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of a nation, which will not threaten or use force to settle international disputes.

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.

Apart from Tokyo, rallies were also held in other parts of Japan on the same day against the Takaichi government's moves.

China records ten consecutive quarters of trade growth with ASEAN

China has recorded ten consecutive quarters of growth in imports and exports with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the data for the second quarter of this year from the General Administration of Customs GAC) showed on Tuesday.

China's trade with ASEAN reached 4.34 trillion yuan (about 640 billion U.S. dollars) in the first half of 2026, marking an 18.2-percent increase compared to the same period of last year, according to GAC.

"In the first half of this year, China's imports and exports with ASEAN stood at 4.34 trillion yuan, up 18.2 percent year on year on. Of this total, imports and exports in the second quarter accounted for 2.37 trillion yuan which represented a year-on-year growth of 20.2 percent and marking the 10th consecutive quarter of growth.," said Lyu Daliang, a spokesman for the customs bureau, at a press briefing.

"China and ASEAN have continuously strengthened infrastructure connectivity. In the first half of the year, China's imports and exports with ASEAN via the new western land-sea corridor grew by 18.2 percent, with railway and highway transport increasing by 24.7 percent and 17.5 percent, respectively," Lyu said.

Established in 1967, ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Timor-Leste.