TOKYO – Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi was heckled on June 23 with anti-war slogans during a ceremony in the southern island prefecture of Okinawa to mark 81 years since the end of a fierce battle on Japanese soil in World War II.
Takaichi, a security hawk pushing to strengthen Japan’s defence posture in the face of an assertive China and North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats, was met with chants, “No to war” and “Protect Article 9“ of the pacifist Constitution that renounces war.
The commotion contrasted with the otherwise solemn atmosphere at the event marking the end of the Battle of Okinawa, in a prefecture that hosts the bulk of US military installations in Japan and where opposition to their concentration remains strong.
Okinawa is close to Taiwan, which China sees as a renegade province that must be reunified with the mainland by force if necessary, as well as the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, an uninhabited islet group controlled by Japan but claimed by China.
Takaichi’s remarks suggesting Japan’s potential involvement in a Taiwan contingency angered China, leading to a deterioration in bilateral ties.
Speaking to reporters after the ceremony, Takaichi said that Japan is “not at war”, adding that “our country can be proud that it has continued on the path of a peace-loving nation throughout the postwar period”.
On defence, she said that Japan “should strengthen its capabilities by its own initiative to maintain peace and protect lives”.
Japan has been seeking to bolster its security in the strategically important Nansei island chain – which includes Okinawa and stretches toward Taiwan – with an eye to China’s growing military assertiveness in the region. KYODO NEWS
