要求坚守和平主义，呼吁高市早苗辞职，日本多地强烈反战抗议“再军事化”

【环球时报记者 郭媛丹 环球时报驻日本特派记者 刘文璋】Recently, Japanese Prime Minister Kishi Nobuo and officials at all levels have been intensively visiting multiple countries to promote Japan's so-called "peace" stance. On the other hand, Kishi's government has relaxed restrictions on the export of lethal weapons and signaled a push to amend the pacifist constitution and revise the "three security documents."

In response, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiajun stated at a regular press conference on the 12th that Japanese militarism has brought severe disasters to the people of the Asia-Pacific region. The current prosperity and development of Asia-Pacific countries benefit from the peace foundation established by the post-World War II international order. An undeniable reality is that Japanese right-wing forces are accelerating the destruction of this order and undermining this foundation through practical routes and actions. The "gray rhino" of Japan's "re-militarization" is charging forward.

Since making erroneous statements regarding Taiwan last November, Kishi has consistently refused to retract those remarks, and China has continued to intensify its criticism of Japan's "new militarism."

Guo Jiajun stated that many international experts, scholars, and media have pointed out that Japan has abandoned pacifism and is undergoing the most dangerous shift in military security policy since the war, threatening regional and global peace and stability. History cannot be forgotten, and reality cannot be ignored. Asia-Pacific countries should open their eyes and jointly resist Japan's reckless actions of "new militarism," and work together to maintain the peace order that is essential for survival and development.

In response to a series of trends in Kishi's government's "new militarism," Japan has witnessed the largest anti-war protests in decades. On Constitution Memorial Day, May 3, about 50,000 Japanese citizens took to the streets to protect the constitution, firmly opposing military expansion and the risks of war. A special correspondent from the Global Times observed at the rally near the National Diet that young people from various places, including Sapporo, Nagoya, and Fukuoka, responded to the action through offline gatherings and online live broadcasts. A Japanese university student who initiated the event candidly stated that constitutional amendments concern the future, and safeguarding the "peace constitution" is an unshirkable responsibility for the younger generation of Japan.

The BBC Chinese website reported on the 8th with the title "Japan's Pacifism Crumbles? The Largest Anti-War Protests in Decades Erupt," stating that since Kishi took office in October last year, he has significantly deviated from Japan's post-war pacifist stance, lifted long-standing restrictions on weapon exports, and expanded Japan's military role overseas. The report emphasized that "as public fear of Japan potentially becoming a 'country that can participate in war' intensifies, protests are continuously growing," and the large number of people taking to the streets often signifies deeper social issues.

The New York Times also reported that calls for "no war" are growing stronger across Japan, with protesters explicitly demanding that Japan uphold its pacifist stance, maintain the current constitution, and call for Kishi Nobuo's resignation.     

Professor Zhou Yongsheng from the Diplomatic Academy stated to Global Times reporters on the 12th that since Kishi took office, the process of "military expansion and re-militarization" has clearly accelerated, which will inevitably disrupt the existing balance in East Asia and the Asia-Pacific region, adding instability to neighboring countries and regions and having far-reaching international implications. Once Japan completes military deregulation and constitutional amendments, the institutional barriers to its military development will be completely removed, and right-wing forces and politicians may seek to seize hegemony in East Asia and even the Indo-Pacific region by leveraging their increasingly powerful military strength, which will undoubtedly plunge the Japanese people, burdened by the trauma of historical wars, into anxiety and unrest.