TOKYO, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Tuesday faced loud protests from anti-war demonstrators while delivering a speech at a memorial ceremony to commemorate the victims of the Battle of Okinawa.
Live television footage showed that shortly after Takaichi took the podium at the ceremony in the southern island prefecture of Okinawa, protesters began chanting slogans such as "No to war" and "Protect Article 9 of the Constitution," with their voices at times drowning out portions of the prime minister's speech.
At a press conference after the ceremony, reporters asked Takaichi whether she had heard the protests. The prime minister replied, "Because I was speaking, I couldn't clearly make out what exactly they were saying."
In recent years, the Japanese government and U.S. forces stationed in Japan have continued to strengthen military deployments in Okinawa and elsewhere, building so-called "counterstrike capabilities."
The U.S. Marine Corps in Okinawa recently announced the deployment of the latest anti-ship missile system and air defense system, moves that have fueled growing unease among local residents.
Multiple civic groups in the prefecture have held successive protests, calling on the government to halt military expansion, demanding the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Okinawa, and urging against further escalation of regional tensions. ■
