Japanese citizens protest against govt's military expansion policies

TOKYO — A large number of Japanese people took to the streets in Tokyo on Sunday afternoon to protest against a series of military expansion policies recently pursued by the government of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

Demonstrators, many wearing helmets bearing the words "Antiwar" and "Peace", chanted slogans such as "No to constitutional revision" and "Stop war".

Organizers said the Japanese government, while touting the country as a "peace-loving nation", has continued to strengthen the Japan-US security alliance, expand the Self-Defense Forces, or SDF, and accelerate its push toward remilitarization, warning that such moves could lead Japan down the path toward war.

One protester, identified as Kashimura, told Xinhua News Agency that prices in Japan keep rising, tax burdens continue to increase, and social security spending is growing.

"At the same time, the government is pushing for legislation that would restrict freedom of expression and suppress anti-war voices. People will lose the space to express themselves freely," Kashimura said.

Another protester, Junko Kaji, said there is little meaningful opposition within the Japanese parliament, with war-related bills being passed one after another.

"Today, large numbers of workers and ordinary citizens have gathered around the Diet. Only by bringing down the Takaichi administration through public opposition can war be prevented," she said.

In recent months, Japan has continued to strengthen military deployments in areas, including Okinawa, while seeking to bolster its so-called defense capabilities through the formulation and revision of relevant policy documents.

On June 9, the LDP approved a draft proposal on revising the country's three key security documents within the year.

Meanwhile, the Japanese government plans to rename the Air Self-Defense Force as the "Air and Space Self-Defense Force" within fiscal 2026, further extending Japan's security framework into outer space, according to a report by the Nikkei.

The report published on Sunday said relevant legislation is under deliberation in parliament. If enacted, it would mark the first change in the names of Japan's Self-Defense Forces since the establishment of the Ground, Maritime and Air Self-Defense Forces in 1954.

The move is intended to formally designate space as one of the operational domains of the SDF, the report said, noting the renaming would represent "not merely a change in title, but an important milestone in the expansion of Japan's security concept".

Japan has already established and steadily expanded units dedicated to space-related operations. The country's space force originated in 2020 with the launch of the Space Operations Squadron, which initially consisted of around 20 personnel members.

The unit was reorganized into the Space Operations Group in 2022 and further expanded into the Space Operations Wing in March 2026, increasing its personnel strength to 670. During fiscal 2026, Japan plans to further upgrade the wing to a space operations command, expanding the force to approximately 880 members.

The development has fueled concerns among the Japanese public over the country's expanding security agenda.

During a recent parliamentary debate, Tomoko Tamura, chairwoman of the Japanese Communist Party, warned that the government's move would mean that the SDF would formally undertake space combat missions, bringing outer space further into the realm of military competition and potentially intensifying the space arms race.

XINHUA