Over 30,000 rally against Japan's departure from pacifist constitution

Tens of thousands of people on Friday held a rally against Japan's longtime attempts to revise its pacifist constitution, marking the day when it was enacted some 70 years ago.

The protest came as Japan has increasingly drifted away from its pacifist doctrines in recent years, with the government making policies such as lifting an export ban on warplanes, strengthening military ties with the U.S. and updating new security documents that allow it to gain "enemy base strike capabilities."

In a park designed for disaster prevention in Tokyo, a China Media Group (CMG) reporter said some 32,000 people took part in the protest, and many of the demonstrators were seen holding placards with slogans voicing their opposition to military expansion and calling for peace.

"I believe that strengthening military alliances with the United States will place Japan in danger," one of the demonstrators told CMG. 

"Japan is gradually increasing military spending and intends to export lethal weapons overseas, which is a very dangerous move," she said.

Japan's current constitution was introduced in the wake of World War II when the country was reckoning with its militaristic past. Article 9 of the constitution, which renounces the nation's right to go to war and prohibits the maintenance of a military, has served as a fundamental constraint on Japan's military endeavors for decades.

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party has long advocated for constitutional amendments, including adding an "emergency clause," with the ultimate goal of enabling Japan to participate in wars, one protester told CMG.

Another source of public disapproval is that, despite a depreciating Yen and rising inflation, the Japanese government has increased its defense budget for 2024 to a record high. Many Japanese view the government's attempts to revise the constitution and stoke security tensions as a way to conceal real social issues, essentially serving the personal interests of politicians.

"I believe the current Japanese government is tempted by benefits provided by certain large corporations, engaging in activities like illicit financial transactions," another protester told CMG.

The so-called military alliances are also driven by similar temptations, he said, adding that raising military spending will only lead to poverty in the country and a decline in the living standards of the people.

"I am concerned that this will lead to the decline of the nation," he said.