Arab News Japan
TOKYO: The new Japanese government offered a grand welcome to visiting US President Donald Trump, branding him a “global peacemaker who made an unprecedented historic achievement” by brokering a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and elsewhere, and “helping the world become more peaceful.”
Newly elected Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae expressed that sentiment during their summit meeting in Tokyo on Tuesday and stated she would nominate Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize. Analysts suggest the Japanese side is focusing on what Trump wants to hear, such as increasing Japan’s defense spending.
The Japanese outstanding welcome for the American president also sparked dissent among various groups. Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in Tokyo and Yokosuka, the only two cities Trump visited in Japan.
Upon arriving by helicopter in Yokosuka, Trump was greeted by protesters on boats floating in the Pacific Ocean near the American warships anchored off the coast. They displayed banners against what they perceived as ‘Japanese-American military integration,’ a term used to describe the close military alliance between the two countries. Additionally, a crowd gathered at the pier facing the naval base, called for Trump to ‘go back home’ and accused him of dragging peaceful Japan into various conflicts. Some protesters labeled Trump as a ‘war criminal,’ asserting that he was unworthy of any recognition for peace.
In Yokosuka, one demonstrator held a banner demanding Trump’s arrest, while another claimed that “Trump and Takaichi are attempting to establish military dominance globally.”
“Many residents of Yokosuka still seem unaware of the looming danger,” FUNAKI Akiyoshi, leader of the Big March Kanagawa, a local activist group, commented. “I want to continue telling people the truth about what is really happening,” he said.
Protests took place in Tokyo’s bustling Shinjuku district the day before. Japanese students, wearing helmets as a style, peacefully expressed their opposition to the visit and called for the removal of all American military bases from Japan. They held banners that read, “Free Palestine” and “No to the Extermination of the Palestinian People.”
The protests in Japan were mainly a response to Trump’s foreign policy decisions, especially his support for the Israeli government and the ongoing presence of American military bases in Japan, according to one activist. “While our statements are critical, they also show a level of respect for Trump’s position as the President of the United States,” he stated.
