File picture of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. /VCG
As Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi marks one 12 months in workplace, criticism is rising over her push to increase the nation’s navy capabilities, revise its pacifist structure and take into account introducing nuclear-powered submarines, with politicians, protesters and nuclear consultants warning that the strikes might heighten regional tensions and undermine Japan’s postwar pacifist rules.
Former Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba lately expressed concern over Takaichi’s political course in a tv program, criticizing her authorities and right-wing forces for an absence of honesty in addressing Japan’s wartime historical past.
In this system aired by BS-TBS on Monday, Ishiba stated that Japan launched wars that resulted in tens of thousands and thousands of deaths, questioning whether or not a rustic that failed to totally acknowledge these historic details might set up stable diplomatic relations.
Ishiba additionally questioned Takaichi’s pledge to make Japan “strong and prosperous,” noting that the nation’s gross home product might fall to sixth place globally subsequent 12 months. “Sanae-nomics,” he stated, has did not deliver prosperity to the nation, including that Takaichi’s political course “will not make people happy.”
On Monday night, Japanese residents gathered in entrance of the National Diet in Tokyo to protest in opposition to the federal government’s navy buildup and strikes to revise the structure, calling for the preservation of peace.
People protest throughout a rally in entrance of the National Diet in Tokyo, Japan, October 19, 2026. /Xinhua
Taku Yamazoe, coverage chief of the Japanese Communist Party, stated the federal government’s continued deployment of missiles and pursuit of more and more superior weapons had not introduced peace, warning that Japanese politics is now displaying indicators of a harmful, full-scale revival of militarism.
Mizuho Fukushima, chief of the Social Democratic Party, known as for efforts to forestall the House of Representatives from starting work on drafting proposed constitutional amendments. She additionally criticized makes an attempt by the Takaichi authorities to pave the best way for constitutional revision by lowering the variety of seats allotted via proportional illustration.
Pointing to the large-scale Japan-US joint navy workout routines that started Monday, Fukushima stated they demonstrated the continued advance of Japan’s militarization, stressing that what the nation really wanted was peace.
Concerns have additionally mounted over the Takaichi authorities’s consideration of introducing nuclear-powered submarines, because it prepares to revise Japan’s three key safety paperwork by the tip of this 12 months. Nuclear consultants and peace advocates warn that the transfer might undermine Japan’s longstanding solely defense-oriented coverage and weaken the worldwide nuclear nonproliferation regime.
At a seminar held in Tokyo on Monday, contributors highlighted coverage, monetary and nuclear security challenges related to introducing such submarines, warning that the transfer might irritate regional tensions and improve the danger of nuclear battle.
Tatsujiro Suzuki, a visiting professor at Nagasaki University, stated Japan’s transfer might encourage different international locations to observe go well with, undermining worldwide nuclear nonproliferation efforts, warning that such a development might intensify regional tensions and finally improve the danger of nuclear struggle.
Sumiko Hatakeyama, co-representative of the Japanese nongovernmental group Peace Boat, stated Japan should not abandon its postwar rules of solely defense-oriented coverage and the peaceable use of nuclear vitality, stressing that the federal government mustn’t introduce nuclear-powered submarines.
Hajime Matsukubo, secretary-general of the Citizens’ Nuclear Information Center and a member of the Nuclear Energy Subcommittee underneath the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, stated that nuclear-powered submarines might allow Japan to function for prolonged intervals throughout wider maritime areas, considerably affecting the regional safety atmosphere.
Matsukubo additionally famous that earlier Japanese governments had explicitly acknowledged that utilizing nuclear vitality to energy navy submarines didn’t qualify because the peaceable use of nuclear vitality when nuclear-powered vessels had but to change into widespread.
The Takaichi cupboard’s discussions on introducing nuclear-powered submarines due to this fact represented a transparent contradiction with the federal government’s earlier place, he stated, calling it a critical challenge.
Source: CGTN