Large-scale protests swept across Japan on Constitution Memorial Day, with organizers estimating 50,000 people gathered in Tokyo to oppose Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's push to revise the country's pacifist constitution.
Protesters carried banners reading “No to war!” and “Protect the Peace Constitution,” while chants of “No to War” echoed through the crowd. The Independent described the crowd as diverse, including long-time activists, families, and a notable number of younger participants. The newspaper quoted 87-year-old war survivor Haruka Watanabe, who likened the constitution to her own child, and non-fiction writer Shinobu Yoshioka, who warned that centralised methods are becoming entrenched, leading the country toward war.
Politicians should hold discussions in order to make decisions.
Rally organizers said leaflets and placards ran out before the event began, a sign of unexpectedly high turnout, and participants marched through city streets, their numbers swelling as they moved.
Kyodo News reported that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party have called for “advanced discussions” to amend the constitution. According to political analysts, Takaichi has made constitutional revision a top priority, alongside bolstering defense by overhauling national security strategy, increasing military spending, developing counterstrike capabilities, and loosening the ban on exporting lethal military equipment. The proposed revisions would formally recognize the Japan Self-Defense Forces and adapt to regional security threats, including tensions with China and North Korea.
Discussion must not be for its own sake but aimed at making decisions.
Takaichi has said she wants to put forth a constitutional amendment proposal within one year and has called on the LDP to mobilize its full strength to advocate for the change. At the LDP’s April convention, she stated she aims to initiate a constitutional amendment proposal by the next party convention. Takaichi said, “Politicians should hold discussions in order to make decisions.” She added, “Discussion must not be for its own sake but aimed at making decisions.”
In a video message to revision proponents on Constitution Memorial Day, she vowed to carefully explain amendments and advance discussions in the Diet. “I will carefully explain potential amendments to the public and the LDP will advance discussions in the Diet to reach decisions,” she said. Kyodo News reported that Takaichi has argued that the constitution should be periodically updated to reflect the needs of the times so its value is not diminished.
Article 9 stands squarely at the center of revision discussions and should not be sidelined.
Kyodo News reported that members of the conservative wing of the LDP have demanded the removal of paragraph 2 of Article 9, which forbids Japan from going to war and restricts possession of military forces for that purpose, and called for the creation of a modern national defence force with full sovereign rights. It remains unclear whether Takaichi will accept this maximalist position.
Any change must be approved by a two-thirds majority in both houses of parliament, followed by a majority vote in a national referendum. The LDP already holds a two-thirds majority in the lower house and, along with other pro-reform parties, is close to reaching the same threshold in the upper house.
I will carefully explain potential amendments to the public and the LDP will advance discussions in the Diet to reach decisions.
A Kyodo News poll showed 73% of the public called for prioritizing a broad consensus across parties when moving toward constitutional amendment. Even if the LDP secures a legislative supermajority, amending the pacifist clause will not be easy, analysts say, given the deeply symbolic nature of Article 9.
According to reports of the White House visit, Takaichi told President Trump that there are things Japan can and cannot do because of its legal restraints, and Trump complained that Japan didn’t help in the Middle East despite hosting tens of thousands of U.S. troops.
U.S. forces can no longer fight plural major wars, so Japan must be more responsible, expand its military capabilities, and be less dependent on U.S. protection.
Kyodo News reported that successive Japanese governments have argued that the constitution is no longer fit to meet modern-day security challenges. According to www.washingtonpost.com, Nobukatsu Kanehara, a former top aide to Shinzo Abe, argued that U.S. forces can no longer fight plural major wars, so Japan must expand its military capabilities and be less dependent on U.S. protection.
Public pushback against constitutional revision is mounting, driven by fears of being drawn into conflicts like the U.S.-Israel war in Iran, according to organizers and protesters.
According to analysts, the specific constitutional change Takaichi seeks is more symbolic than substantive and would not alter the part that renounces war. Opponents argue that Article 9 has shielded Japan from U.S. pressure to join military operations abroad; without it, they fear Tokyo would face unrelenting demands for troop deployments. According to japantoday.com, former special adviser to the cabinet Tomohiko Taniguchi stressed that Article 9 is central to revision discussions and must not be sidelined.
It remains unclear what specific provisions the amendment will include beyond formally recognizing the Self-Defense Forces, or whether Takaichi will accept the conservative wing’s call to remove paragraph 2 of Article 9. The timeline for drafting and proposing the amendment is uncertain, and much will depend on whether the LDP can secure a supermajority in the upper house and win a national referendum.