Arab News Japan

TOKYO: A Nakba Day solidarity demonstration took place on Friday outside Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry in Tokyo, bringing together participants supporting Palestinians and protesting Israel’s ongoing military occupation and war in Gaza.

Nakba Day, observed annually on May 15, commemorates the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians during the 1948 Arab Israeli war, following Israel’s establishment and genocide campaigns by the Zionist movement against Palestinians. 

The term “Nakba,” meaning “catastrophe” in Arabic, is recognized globally.

A Japanese Buddhist group, active since 2015, organized the demonstration. Known for their prayer-based activism, the group supports those affected by war, environmental harm, and injustice. For Nakba Day, they hosted ‘Rest the Souls — Judgment by the Martyrs,’ blending prayers, chanting, music, and protest to honor victims of war, nuclear disasters, and social injustice.

Waving Palestinian flags and holding banners for peace, participants filled the scene with calls to end the war. Some donned black robes as they offered prayers and speeches in solemn remembrance.

In front of the Ministry, demonstrators raised their voices with chants and speeches against war, weapons exports, and new emergency powers legislation. Speakers cautioned that expanding state authority in times of crisis could endanger constitutional rights, free expression, and democracy itself.

Throughout the event, demonstrators voiced solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, condemned the Israeli military occupation, and pressed Japan to recognize Palestine as a state. Their chants for an immediate ceasefire and against militarization echoed persistently.