When asked to comment on the fact that since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s administration announced plans to push for constitutional revision, a large wave of opposition has emerged across Japan, including the largest anti-war protests seen in decades, with words such as “fear,” “concern,” “vigilance,” and “anger” frequently mentioned by interviewees, and media commentators warning that revising Article 9 of the constitution would shake Japan’s self-identity as a peaceful nation and deepen social divisions, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Wednesday that all peace-loving countries and the Japanese people should jointly resist the reckless attempt by Japan’s right-wing forces to pursue “remilitarization,” and work together to prevent the rise and spread of “neo-militarism” in Japan.
Guo noted that history serves as a mirror. In the first half of the 20th century, the Japanese people witnessed firsthand how their country gradually descended into militarism and became a war machine, suffering profoundly from the consequences of war. They understand better than anyone the significance of Japan’s pledge never to wage war again. Yet today, the Takaichi administration is attempting to abandon pacifism, betray the fundamental premise upon which postwar international society accepted Japan, and tear apart the consensus of being a “peaceful nation” that generations of Japanese people have cherished, the spokesperson said.
By pushing for military expansion, seeking to break through the constraints of the pacifist constitution as well as international and domestic law, are Japan’s right-wing forces trying to turn the country into a so-called “war state”? Are they attempting to reignite the flames of war in the Asia-Pacific region? Under the guise of “self-defense,” right-wing forces are hyping up so-called “external threats,” sacrificing the well-being of their own people and undermining peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific. The largest anti-war protests in decades now unfolding across Japan demonstrate that more and more people are realizing that returning to the path of militarism is a road of no return, Guo said.
Global Times
