People hold signs in a rally outside the Tokyo Rinkai Disaster Prevention Park, Japan, on May 3, 2024. (Xinhua/Zhang Xiaoyu)
"In today's Japan, the constitution is pacifist in name but not in reality, and Japan is seeking to become a military power!" Sayo Saruta, director of the Japanese think tank New Diplomacy Initiative, said in his speech in a massive rally in Tokyo to defend Japan's pacifist constitution.
TOKYO, May 6 (Xinhua) -- More than 30,000 peace-seeking Japanese have participated in a massive rally in Tokyo to defend the country's pacifist constitution, chanting "No constitutional amendments, defend the constitution, protect peace!"
Japan marked the 77th memorial day of its pacifist post-war Constitution on May 3. The supreme law's Article 9 renounces war and bans the country from maintaining land, sea and air forces, as well as other war potential. However, nowadays, concerns mount among Japanese people regarding the steadfastness in upholding the principles of the war-renouncing constitution.
Mizuho Fukushima, head of the Social Democratic Party, took to the podium on Friday's protest in the Tokyo Rinkai Disaster Prevention Park to criticize what the government has done to Japan.
"Now Japan is in a constitutional crisis, a peace crisis, a war crisis, and a human rights crisis!" she said.
Kanehisa Yamauchi, who just returned from Okinawa, told Xinhua that Okinawa has become increasingly militarized. A month ago, the Japan Self-Defense Forces deployed its first surface-to-ship missile unit on the main island of Okinawa at Uruma Base.
"I saw many people protesting near the base in Okinawa," said Yamauchi, adding it was "very absurd" that the Japanese government concocted lies to deceive the people.
"Lifting the ban on collective self-defense, doubling defense spending, gaining enemy base strike capabilities, lifting the export ban on lethal weapons... All of these are clearly prohibited by Article 9, but all of them have been done by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party over the years under the pretext of 'peace,'" Tomoko Tamura, chairperson of the Japanese Communist Party, gave a thought-provoking speech at the rally.
"In today's Japan, the constitution is pacifist in name but not in reality, and Japan is seeking to become a military power!" Sayo Saruta, director of the Japanese think tank New Diplomacy Initiative, said in his speech.
"I am here to better defend the constitution, especially Article 9," Akiko Nogaki, from Tokyo's Suginami Ward, told Xinhua.
Attendees of a rally in defense of Japan's pacifist constitution pose for a photo outside the Tokyo Rinkai Disaster Prevention Park, Japan, on May 3, 2024. (Xinhua/Zhang Xiaoyu)
A particularly eye-catching flag waved above a crowd of protesters. At the top of the flag was a picture of a little girl flying in the wind on a dove of peace, with the words "No war! Don't get involved in the U.S. war!" written in big letters below.
Flag holder Shoichi Itoh from the Article 9 Association, one of the largest anti-constitutional revision groups in Japan, told Xinhua that they are retired primary and secondary school teachers from Tokyo.
"This flag is an expression of our common aspirations. I have taught middle school history all my life, and in my classes, I will definitely tell the children to reflect on the war and never let it happen again!" he said.
However, on the same day as in previous years, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida continued to send a video message to a small gathering of pro-constitutional amendment forces, once again emphasizing the need to speed up discussions on revising the constitution.
Also on Friday, the Japanese daily Yomiuri Shimbun wrote: "Not only should the Self-Defense Forces be written into the constitution, but also the 'capability to attack enemy bases.'"
"Force does not bring peace!" "No to war!" the people at the rally shouted together.
After the rally, people took to the streets carrying signs and flags. A citizen told Xinhua, "For no other reason than to alert more people, I hope more people will join the team to defend the constitution next year." ■
