Arab News Japan

TOKYO: A sea of pro-Palestinian demonstrators, both Japanese and international, surged through Tokyo’s busiest streets on Nakba Day, uniting in solidarity with Palestinians and demanding an end to the Israeli occupation and attacks on Gaza.

Gathering near Shibuya Station, participants set off through the stylish Omotesando area, waving Palestinian flags and hoisting banners and placards high above the crowd.

Nakba Day, observed annually on May 15, commemorates the displacement and dispossession of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in 1948. According to historical records, “Zionist gangs” committed atrocities in numerous cities, towns, and villages in Palestine. The subsequent establishment of Israel is referred to as the “Nakba,” meaning “catastrophe” in Arabic. This event is marked each year by demonstrations and memorial events organized by Palestinians and supporters worldwide protesting the continued Israeli occupation of Palestine.

Promoted online as the “Nakba Day Shibuya Protest,” the Tokyo march echoed with chants for peace in Gaza, freedom for Palestine, and protection for civilians. Protesters urged boycotts of Israel and the United States, with some calling them terrorists, while a striking banner stretched across the crowd demanding an end to apartheid in Israel.

Placards in the crowd branded Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a war criminal and called for his arrest. Other signs proclaimed, “Free Palestine” and urged Prime Minister TAKAICHi administration not to be complicit, directly challenging Japan’s position on the Gaza war.

Pro-Palestinian rallies like this have become a growing presence in Tokyo and throughout Japan since the Gaza conflict began, with their numbers swelling in recent months.