Thousands rally across Japan in nationwide anti-war demonstrations

Thousands of people took to the streets across Japan on April 8 in coordinated demonstrations calling for the preservation of the country’s pacifist constitution and opposing war.

In Osaka, approximately 2,000 protesters gathered near JR Osaka Station, chanting slogans such as “No to war” and “Protect Article 9.” Several hundred more joined rallies in the Minami district and other cities throughout the Kansai region, Caliber.Az reports, citing Japanese media.

The protests were organized by the civic group “WE WANT OUR FUTURE,” alongside other organizations that have been staging demonstrations outside the national parliament. Similar actions were planned across all 47 prefectures, underscoring the nationwide scope of the movement.

Participants articulated mounting concern over the intensifying momentum toward constitutional revision, particularly in light of the Liberal Democratic Party’s overwhelming majority in the lower house of parliament.

“Although I grew up in a conservative family, introducing emergency powers or an anti-espionage law feels like repression of freedom of speech,” a 30-year-old protester in Osaka said.

Demonstrations were also reported in Otsu, Kyoto, Kobe, Nara, and Wakayama, taking place against the backdrop of heightened tensions in the Middle East and a recently announced two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran.

By Vafa Guliyeva