According to CCTV news reports, on August 13th local time, Japanese citizens held a rally at Tokyo's Hibiya Park, continuing to express their opposition to the government of Koike Yukie's attempts to amend the constitution.
Since taking office, Koike Kaesuke has repeatedly indicated a desire to amend the constitution. In February 2026, she clearly stated in her policy speech that "an amendment motion should be initiated in the parliament as soon as possible." In April, she declared at the Liberal Democratic Party convention that "the time for amending the constitution is ripe," and aimed to officially launch the constitutional amendment process by the spring of 2027.
In fact, protests against the direction of constitutional reform by the Kōchi city government have continued for several months.
On May 3rd, over 90,000 people walked through the streets of Tokyo in the rain. In Tokyo alone, approximately 50,000 people gathered around Yobito Park.
On May 19th, approximately 10,000 people gathered in front of the Tokyo National Assembly Hall. They held signs that read “Stop constitutional amendments and military expansion” and “Do not undermine Article 9 of the Constitution.” They loudly shouted slogans such as “There is no need for laws that encourage military expansion” and “Stop the deployment of missiles.”
July 18th, some people held another protest rally in front of Shinjuku Station.
On August 9th, the 81st anniversary of the atomic bombing in Nagasaki, people in Tokyo gathered spontaneously to protest against the dangerous moves of the Kashi government to expand the military and amend the constitution. They called for a recognition of the history of aggression and a commitment to pacifism.
Observer Network columnist and Japanese media worker Liao Kezeng described that among the approximately 10,000 people participating in the protest were elderly people who had been "checking in" for a long time, even as they approached their sixties; there were also office workers who hurriedly arrived after work, and even high school students who had just finished school. People held homemade banners and glowsticks, shouting the same slogan in unison before the National Assembly: "Kogeme Asama step down!"
Protest site: Liao Ke shot
It is worth noting that a recent poll by the Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK) shows that the support rate for Governor Kei Shibasaki's cabinet has dropped to 53%, a decrease of 5 percentage points from July. This marks the lowest level since she took office in the autumn of 2025. The rate of disapproval has increased by 6 percentage points, reaching 33%.
33% of respondents believe that the cabinet has "execution ability", 31% feel it is "better than other cabinets" and 17% expressed expectations for policies.
In the group of non-supporters, 43% expressed "no expectation for the policy", with the highest proportion; 23% believed "trustworthiness in the government officials is lacking," and 11% stated that "the cabinet was not formed by their own party."
According to a report by the Japan News Agency, citing several people familiar with the matter, Yukio Akamatsu has decided not to visit the Yasukuni Shrine on August 15, the 'date of final war'. Efforts have already been made to coordinate this decision.
