Arab News Japan

TOKYO: Thousands of Japanese workers and unionists gathered together with leaders of the opposition in Tokyo’s Ariake district to mark Constitution Day and to demand protection of Japan’s pacifist constitution. 

Communist Party leader Kazuo Shi stated in a speech to over 15,000 participants that Japan should not follow a militaristic path but protect Article 9 of the Constitution, which denounces war as a means to solve disputes.

Okuno Soichiro of the Democratic Constitutional Party talked about the horror of the war in Ukraine and reflected on his meeting with Ukraine’s President Zelensky in 2019.

Social Democratic Party leader Mizuho Fukushima expressed concerns about the present government of Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, who plans to have study groups make proposals on modifying the Japanese Constitution.

Some participants in the audience told Arab News Japan they were attending the rally to preserve the uniqueness of Article 9 of the Constitution, which prohibits war, and how it ensures a safe and peaceful world for their children and future generations.

As the participants marched through the streets, nationalist groups disrupted with cries of criticism against such pacifism reminding them that Russia is still occupying the Northern Territories, the four Islands that historically belong to Japan.