TOKYO — A large number of Japanese people took to the streets in Tokyo on Sunday afternoon to protest against a series of military expansion policies recently pursued by the government of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
Demonstrators, many wearing helmets bearing the words "Antiwar" and "Peace", chanted slogans such as "No to constitutional revision" and "Stop war".
Organizers said the Japanese government, while touting the country as a "peace-loving nation", has continued to strengthen the Japan-US security alliance, expand the Self-Defense Forces, or SDF, and accelerate its push toward remilitarization, warning that such moves could lead Japan down the path toward war.
One protester, identified as Kashimura, told Xinhua News Agency that prices in Japan keep rising, tax burdens continue to increase, and social security spending is growing.
"At the same time, the government is pushing for legislation that would restrict freedom of expression and suppress anti-war voices. People will lose the space to express themselves freely," Kashimura said.
