Published: May 31, 2026, 17:01 IST | Updated: May 31, 2026, 17:01 IST
Under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Japan is accelerating a historic shift away from its post-war pacifist stance, boosting defense spending, modernizing the Self-Defense Forces, and revising Article 9 of the constitution. While the government defends these changes as necessary regional deterrence, they have sparked widespread public dissent and massive anti-war protests across Tokyo.