Around 10,000 people gathered in front of Japan's National Diet Building in Tokyo on Wednesday, opposing the Takaichi government's push to increase defense spending and revise the country's pacifist constitution.

Japan's Defense Ministry plans to request a record-high budget of about 8.9 trillion yen (around $56 billion) for fiscal 2027, Japanese media reported recently. The actual defense budget could rise further when finalized at the end of this year, and is possible to reach around 10 trillion yen.

Protesters said public funds should instead be directed toward social welfare, disaster preparedness and people struggling with the rising cost of living. Some also voiced concerns over efforts to revise Article 9 of Japan's Constitution, which renounces war as a sovereign right.