Japan opposition parties, citizens rally against government move to ease arms export rules

Senior figures from several Japanese opposition parties joined thousands of citizens outside the bustling Ikebukuro station in Tokyo on Sunday evening to protest the government's dangerous push to ease restrictions on arms exports and advance sweeping military expansion, voicing concern about the country's future path.

More than 6,000 people attended the protest, according to organizers. Demonstrators held signs reading "Military force cannot bring peace" and "Takaichi step down," while chanting slogans including "Oppose war" and "Defend peace," in opposition to what they described as a shift in the government's security policy.

Japanese media have previously reported that the Takaichi government plans to revise the implementation guidelines for the "three principles on transfer of defense equipment and technology" within the month to loosen overseas arms export restrictions.

Opposition politicians speaking at the rally said Japan's export of weapons could fuel international conflicts and runs counter to the pacifist principles enshrined in the country's constitution. They warned that a series of policies being pushed by the government, including relentless military buildup, a proposed anti-espionage law, and plans to establish a national intelligence agency, could put Japan on a dangerous path toward preparing for war.

Tomoko Tamura, chair of the Japanese Communist Party, said that Japan's constitution explicitly prohibits the country from waging war, settling international disputes by force, or contributing to international conflicts.

"Whether it is exporting weapons or possessing missiles capable of striking other countries, these moves must be firmly opposed. We must stop efforts to turn Japan into a 'war-waging nation,'" she said.

Tetsu Tatara, a representative of the rally's organizers, said that the Takaichi administration's push for large-scale military expansion and arms exports stands "in opposition to the public will."

He said the government's moves to bolster military capabilities and deploy missiles, invoking the so-called "China threat" as a pretext, have sparked widespread concern in Japan, prompting a growing number of citizens to voice opposition.

Marin Toyosu, one of the protesters at the rally, said that weapons are inherently instruments of harm, ones that could trigger retaliation, escalate tensions, and risk igniting endless cycles of wars with consequences rippling far beyond Japan's borders.

"As a Japanese citizen, I cannot accept this at all," she said.