Police officers take away anti-war activists at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan, August 6, 2026. /VCG
Growing issues over Japan’s increasing navy capabilities and adjustments to its safety insurance policies have prompted public protests, with demonstrators warning towards a possible return of militaristic pondering.
On August 6, the 81st anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, residents held rallies in Hiroshima and Osaka to oppose a collection of strikes by the federal government of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, together with the relief of restrictions on deadly weapons exports and the institution of a brand new nationwide intelligence bureau.
Protesters urged the Takaichi authorities to confront its wartime historical past and keep away from repeating the errors of the previous.
In Hiroshima, protester Yasuyuki Yagi mentioned the tragedy of the atomic bombing needs to be considered within the broader historic context of Japan’s wartime aggression in Asia. “The historical roots of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima lie in Japan’s earlier aggression against China, the Korean Peninsula and Southeast Asia,” he mentioned.
Toshiko Yamamoto, one other protester, mentioned Japan shouldn’t focus solely by itself struggling whereas overlooking the injury it inflicted on different nations.
“We cannot simply remain fixated on a victim mentality,” Toshiko Yamamoto, a protester, mentioned. “As a country that was once an aggressor, Japan must never allow such aggression to happen again. We must never repeat the same mistakes.”
Mayuri Matsuo, who traveled from Kyoto to attend the rally, mentioned the teachings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki ought to encourage Japan to pursue peace.
“As the only country in the world to have suffered atomic bombings, Japan should promote the ideals of peace,” she mentioned, including that current developments counsel the nation is shifting in “the exact opposite direction.”
Protesters argued that Japan, given its wartime historical past and expertise as the one nation to have suffered nuclear assaults, ought to keep a dedication to peaceable growth and construct belief with the worldwide group by way of concrete actions.
Instead, they criticized the Takaichi administration for accelerating protection enlargement and opening discussions on nuclear-related insurance policies, saying such strikes have raised issues over a attainable shift towards remilitarization.
In November final yr, Japanese media reported that the federal government was contemplating reviewing Japan’s long-standing precept of not permitting nuclear weapons to be introduced into the nation as a part of an replace to 3 key nationwide safety paperwork.
In December, a safety adviser to Takaichi reportedly mentioned Japan ought to think about possessing nuclear weapons. In July, Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi additionally known as for discussions on nuclear coverage with out restrictions or taboos. The remarks and coverage strikes have triggered debate in Japan and drawn concern from neighboring nations.
On July 31, the Japanese authorities formally established the National Intelligence Bureau, aimed toward enhancing the nation’s intelligence-gathering capabilities.
At a protest in Osaka, one participant instructed China Media Group (CMG) that the brand new intelligence physique may increase issues due to its historic resemblance to Japan’s prewar Special Higher Police, referred to as the “Tokk,” which was used to suppress political opposition.
“I worry whether the National Intelligence Bureau could become something like the former Tokk. It makes me concerned that Japan may still be considering a path toward war,” the protester mentioned.
Another participant instructed CMG that current developments underneath the Takaichi administration had prompted rising nervousness that Japan may transfer towards militarism.
“I began reviewing historical materials about Japan’s wartime aggression. The more I learned, the more I felt that such history must never be repeated,” the protester mentioned.
The participant added that tensions between Japan and a few Asian nations stay carefully linked to unresolved historic points, which motivated her to participate in peace-related actions.
(With enter from Xinhua)
Source: CGTN