Yesterday evening (December 23), a diverse crowd of Japanese citizens gathered in front of the Prime Minister’s Office in Tokyo, united by a shared message: Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi must retract her controversial remarks on Taiwan. 📢
Chanting slogans like “Uphold the Constitution” and “Do not incite war,” protesters criticized comments by a senior government security official advocating for nuclear armament—remarks that threaten Japan’s long-standing Three Non-Nuclear Principles.
Mizuho Fukushima, leader of Japan’s Social Democratic Party, took the stage to call out what she sees as a government “preparing for war.” She pointed to Japan’s steadily rising defense budget and warned that the current trajectory evokes unsettling memories of the country before World War II.
Fukushima also slammed Takaichi’s statements on Taiwan as a clear violation of Article 9 of Japan’s Constitution. “Such dangerous and erroneous remarks cannot stand,” she declared, demanding an immediate retraction.
Experts and citizens echoed the call. International politics professor Koichi Nakano argued that many people underestimate the gravity of the Taiwan comments, blaming gaps in historical education for a lack of awareness. Citizen activist Chieko Okada added that downplaying Japan’s wartime past risks repeating history’s darkest chapters.
As the debate over Japan’s security direction intensifies, yesterday’s rally shows that many residents are determined to keep peace at the heart of national policy—and to ensure history’s lessons are never forgotten.
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Japanese citizens protest PM Takaichi's erroneous remarks on Taiwan
cgtn.com
