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https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/22/japan-youth-pacifist-constitution-trump-iran>
"It may be a toy, but Gohta Hashimoto’s lightsaber is symbolic of the battle he
and his fellow protesters face as they attempt to derail moves by Japan’s
government to change the country’s pacifist constitution for the first time in
its 80-year history.
“I’ve been interested in the constitution for about a year, ever since the rise
of far-right parties in Japan,” says Hashimoto, a 22-year-old university
student. “I wanted to be part of a movement that keeps my country peaceful and
protects the constitution.”
He and other young people are the driving force behind a growing movement to
protect Japan’s supreme law, or constitution, a US-written document that is now
being challenged by the demands of an American president.
Their movement gained further urgency on Tuesday, when Japan’s government
scrapped a ban on exports of lethal weapons – a move seen as a direct challenge
to the country’s postwar pacifism.
“The constitution enables us to stay out of America’s wars, including in this
region,” says Yuri Hioki, at a rally in Tokyo. “The thought that might change
makes me really angry”.
Hashimoto’s lightsaber is his contribution to a sea of light sticks, placards
and flags filling public spaces across Japan, as people born more than half a
century after its defeat in the second world war rush to their constitution’s
defence, convinced it will ensure their country never again goes into conflict.
On Sunday, an estimated 36,000 people squeezed on to narrow paths in front of
the National Diet – Japan’s parliament – to call for an immediate end to the
Iran war and to keep the country’s “pacifist” constitution intact."
Via Susan ****
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
