Concerns grow over Takaichi's administration as it moves toward militarization

Japanese residents have recently taken to the streets to protest what they see as the Takaichi administration's moves toward militarization, calling on the government to confront its wartime history and avoid repeating the mistakes of the past.

The concerns came amid a series of developments involving Japan's defense and security policies.

On July 31, Japan launched its National Intelligence Bureau, marking the establishment of the country's first centralized national intelligence organization since World War II.

On August 4, Japan's Defense Ministry released its annual defense white paper, "Defense of Japan 2026," stating that the country would further strengthen its "counterstrike capabilities" by developing air-launched and ship-launched variants of the Type 25 missile and advancing research into hypersonic weapons.

Kyodo News reported on Friday that Japan's Defense Ministry plans to seek a record budget of 8.9 trillion yen (nearly $56 billion) for fiscal 2027. The final budget will also reflect the results of an ongoing review of Japan's three key national security documents. A senior government official said defense spending could ultimately reach around 10 trillion yen.

Concerns over Japan's future nuclear policy have also intensified. The debate was fueled after Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi called in July for Japan to discuss all nuclear-related policy options "without taboo." At a ceremony Thursday marking the 81st anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi refrained from saying whether her government would continue to uphold Japan's Three Non-Nuclear Principles.

'Tragedy never be repeated'

An anti-nuclear weapons event was held in Nagasaki on Friday ahead of the 81st anniversary of the atomic bombing.

At a gathering in Osaka on Thursday night, a protester told China Media Group that the Takaichi administration's recent moves had made her fear that Japan could once again move toward militarism.

"That prompted me to revisit materials on Japan's wartime aggression and related historical issues. The more I learned, the more I felt that such a tragedy must never be repeated," she said.

Another protester expressed concerns over the newly established National Intelligence Bureau, questioning whether it could eventually resemble the Tokko (Special Higher Police), the repressive militarist secret police that crushed dissent and enforced wartime conformity.

"It makes me concerned that Japan may still be considering a path toward war," she said.

At a rally in Hiroshima on Wednesday evening, Mayuri Matsuo told Xinhua that, given the painful lessons of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan should continue promoting the ideals of peace. However, she said recent developments suggest that the country is "moving in the exact opposite direction."

At the site devastated by the atomic bombing, Tomoko Tamura, chairperson of the Japanese Communist Party, said any attempt to revise the Three Non-Nuclear Principles would be unacceptable.

The Mainichi Shimbun published an editorial on Friday criticizing Koizumi's nuclear-related remarks, saying they "trample" on Japan's long-standing non-nuclear principles.

"Revising the three principles would reverse Japan's path as a pacifist nation and undermine trust in the country," said the editorial, adding that "Having experienced the devastation of nuclear attacks, Japan has a responsibility to continue calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons and must not forget that responsibility."

A threat to regional stability 

Public opinion surveys also indicate continued support for Japan's non-nuclear policy. A recent poll conducted by the Japan Association for Public Opinion Research showed that 76% of respondents support maintaining the country's Three Non-Nuclear Principles, while 77% oppose Japan pursuing nuclear sharing arrangements under which the US would station nuclear weapons in Japan.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Friday that Japan should listen to domestic calls against nuclear weapons and stop undermining the Three Non-Nuclear Principles.

Lin urged Japanese authorities to fulfill their obligations under international law, refrain from accepting, producing, possessing or proliferating nuclear weapons, and "stop playing with fire" on the nuclear issue.

In an interview with China Media Group, Zhang Yulai, a professor at Nankai University's Japan Institute, said the most likely point of change would be the third principle – "not allowing nuclear weapons to be introduced into Japan" – with the Japanese government reportedly considering revising it through a Cabinet decision.

Zhang warned that revising the third principle would effectively undermine the Three Non-Nuclear Principles as a whole. Such a move, he said, could disrupt the Asia-Pacific order, the East Asian order and the postwar international order, while fueling a regional arms race.