Japan is experiencing its largest anti-war demonstrations in decades, with crowds gathering in Tokyo and major cities including Osaka, Kyoto, and Fukuoka to oppose sweeping changes to the country's defence posture. Since taking office in October 2025, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has lifted restrictions on arms exports and expanded Japan's military role abroad, moves she argues are necessary given regional tensions with China and North Korea. The protests reflect deep public unease over revisions to Article 9 of Japan's 1947 constitution — the so-called pacifist clause that renounces war as a sovereign right — with many demonstrators, including younger Japanese, warning that incremental military expansion risks drawing the country into future conflicts.