A “no war” sentiment has been growing louder across Japan in recent months, written on the posters at some of the country’s largest protests in at least a decade, including on Saturday. They oppose Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s push to steer the nation away from its decades-long pacifist identity.
Ms. Takaichi, since assuming office in October, has lifted longstanding restrictions on arms exports, deployed long-range missiles in Japan’s southwest and promoted stronger defense ties with allies, moves that the government said were necessary because of mounting global conflicts.
For decades, Japan has been shifting from the antiwar stance enshrined in its constitution, adopted under Allied occupation after its defeat in World War II. But Ms. Takaichi’s moves, and her expanded power after a landslide win in a snap election in February, have set off concerns over the erosion of Japan’s postwar pacifism.
Her opponents have held demonstrations in every prefecture, where crowds have grown bigger each week. Still, her supporters argue that the country sits in a difficult neighborhood — with an increasingly assertive China, an unpredictable North Korea and a Russia at war — while the reliability of Japan’s main ally, the United States, is increasingly in question.
Here’s what to know about the antiwar protests in Japan.
When did the protests start?
The current wave of demonstrations began building in February, when Ms. Takaichi’s election win gave her a sweeping mandate to pursue her conservative agenda, including strengthening Japan’s military. Thousands of people gathered outside Japan’s Parliament that month to support pacifism.
Analysts said that the ruling Liberal Democratic Party had the strongest platform in decades to push for a something that it had long sought: changing Article 9 of the constitution, which renounces war and has been interpreted to prohibit Japan from maintaining armed forces for purposes other than self-defense. Japan does have a military, which is intended to operate within the constraints of Article 9.
The crowds grew in April, when the government scrapped longstanding limits on exporting lethal weapons, arguing that it would bolster the safety of Japan and its allies. More than 50,000 antiwar protesters gathered in over 200 cities and towns that month, organizers said.
The protests swelled to more than 90,000 demonstrators last weekend on a public holiday marking the constitution’s anniversary. In Tokyo, more than 50,000 people gathered at a park to voice their opposition to Ms. Takaichi’s military policy, organizers said.
What do the protesters want?
Protesters said they wanted Japan to keep its pacifist identity and its constitution. They also called on Ms. Takaichi to resign.
In their view, any revision to the constitution risks remilitarizing Japan, hurting the reputation it built after World War II as a rule-abiding, nonthreatening economic power. They are also concerned that Ms. Takaichi will embroil the country in war, escalate tensions with China and contribute to the broader long-term trend of militarization around the world.
War in the Middle East is also driving up prices. Protesters said that shock had added to the economic stress caused by a steep drop in Chinese tourism to Japan, a response to Ms. Takaichi’s stance that Japan could help defend Taiwan if it was invaded by China.
What makes these protests different?
Mass protests are rare in Japan, with its cultural aversion to public disruption. The surge in activism — characterized by the chant, “The peace constitution is Japan’s treasure” — stands out. Also remarkable is the generational breadth of the protesters. They are not just the older generation with memories of World War II and the atomic bombings of Japan, and their aftermath. People in their 20s and 30s have shown up, too, stirred by wars worldwide and a feeling that they have the most at stake in what comes next.
At some rallies, organizers encouraged participants to carry glowing light sticks, inspired by recent protests in South Korea. The rallies in Japan have attracted first-time protesters and younger crowds, drawn by their approachable image on social media.
What impact have the protests had?
The political impact has been limited. Ms. Takaichi remains popular, and the protests seem not to have harmed her approval ratings.
But they have revealed divisions in Japanese society. Recent polls show both robust support for a stronger military and significant resistance to that idea.
Ms. Takaichi’s power is also limited. Any revision to the constitution would require a two-thirds majority in both houses of Parliament and then a simple majority in a national referendum. Ms. Takaichi’s party has too few seats in the upper house of Parliament and would need to win over allies to carry a revision to the referendum stage.
