People rally to defend pacifist Constitution in Tokyo, Japan, May 3, 2023. /Xinhua
Some 25,000 Japanese folks rallied on Wednesday in Tokyo, calling for peace and safety of Japan’s Constitution, together with the war-renouncing Article 9, because the nation marked the 76th anniversary of its pacifist post-war Constitution.
In Tokyo Rinkai Disaster Prevention Park, folks gathered collectively holding banners that learn “Protect the Constitution,” “No to revision of the Constitution,” “No to Military Expansion,” and “No to Counter-strike capabilities” amongst others.
The Constitution’s Article 9 renounces struggle and prohibits Japan from possessing “war potential” similar to army forces. The nation’s solely defense-oriented coverage is constructed on the thought of upholding pacifism embodied within the supreme legislation.
However, because the Japanese authorities has lifted the ban on the proper to collective self-defense, accredited revisions to a few nationwide safety paperwork for large-scale army enlargement and ramped up weapon deployment in its distant southwestern islands, increasingly Japanese folks really feel more and more uneasy concerning the state of affairs and the dangers.
“We feel that in today’s Japan, people’s ordinary life and small happiness can not be guaranteed,” Aisa Kiyosue, professor of Japan’s Muroran Institute of Technology, addressed the rally in a speech.
“In defiance of the Constitution and Article 9, the authorities have arbitrarily amended the interpretation of the Constitution in the name of ‘defense’ and run wild on the road of military expansion,” Kiyosue stated.
“We must stop the Japanese society from sliding into a ‘return to pre-war’ trend at all costs,” the professor added.
Mizuho Fukushima, head of the Social Democratic Party of Japan, delivers a speech throughout the rally in Tokyo, Japan, May 3, 2023. /Xinhua
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida despatched a video speech to a small-scale assembly advocating constitutional adjustments, claiming that “it is extremely important to clearly include the Self-Defense Forces in the Constitution” and as soon as once more publicly expressed his willingness to revise the Constitution.
Ken Takada, the organizer of the rally, strongly condemned Kishida’s remarks.
Takada identified in his speech that forces for revising the Constitution, which now have greater than two-thirds of seats in each homes of the parliament, are looking for the inclusion of Self-Defense Forces and an “emergency clause” within the Constitution, and urgently justifying actions of “military power” and “building a war nation” that incite the disaster of struggle.
It could be stated that the Constitution is being compelled to vary for the more severe, Takada added.
Mizuho Fukushima, head of the Social Democratic Party of Japan, criticized Japan’s new safety paperwork throughout her speech on the rally, stating that the paperwork emphasize that Japan will possess the “ability to counter-strike enemy bases” and can train the “right of collective self-defense,” which can drag the nation again into struggle.
She referred to as on the general public to cease the struggle collectively.
People rally to defend pacifist Constitution in Tokyo, Japan, May 3, 2023. /Xinhua
People marched with banners like “No going back to pre-war,” “No amendments to the Constitution” and “Now more emphasis on Article 9.”
Apart from silver-haired residents, younger folks, housewives pushing strollers, and the blind hand in hand, all share widespread needs, to protect the Constitution and peace.
A 68-year-old man who arrived early for the rally expressed concern about his hometown of Amami Oshima in Kagoshima prefecture.
“Now a large number of missiles have been transported there, and the Self-Defense Forces are setting up bases there, while the Japan-U.S. alliance is conducting military exercises on civilian land. It is heartbreaking to see my hometown becoming a military base,” he stated.
University trainer Miwa Kojima stated that the Constitution can’t be modified by the only will of anybody, and the rally confirmed to the Japanese authorities “the people’s appeal and determination to protect the pacifist Constitution”.
Source: CGTN