People attend a protest in front of the Japanese prime minister’s official residence in Tokyo, Japan, on Jan. 9, 2026. Large numbers of Japanese residents rallied in Tokyo on Friday evening to protest Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s evasive stance on U.S. military strikes against Venezuela, as well as a series of dangerous recent military policy moves by her administration. (Xinhua/Jia Haocheng)
TOKYO, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) — Large numbers of Japanese residents rallied in Tokyo on Friday evening to protest Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s evasive stance on U.S. military strikes against Venezuela, as well as a series of dangerous recent military policy moves by her administration.
The protest, jointly organized by multiple civic groups, began at 7 p.m. local time in front of the prime minister’s official residence, with demonstrators holding signs to express their demands, including “Force cannot create peace,” “We need politics that uphold the constitution,” and “No war anywhere on earth.”
The residents condemned Washington’s brazen military operation against Venezuela and urged the Takaichi government to make a clear and responsible statement. They also voiced strong concern over Takaichi’s intention to revise the country’s non-nuclear principles and other military policies.
Protester Moriya told Xinhua that the U.S. action clearly violated international law and that Takaichi should have stated unequivocally that “Japan cannot form an alliance with a country that resorts to the use of force, let alone fight alongside it.”
She added that as the leader of the only country in the world to have suffered nuclear attacks, Takaichi’s failure to make such a point, while instead seeking to revise the “Three Non-Nuclear Principles,” was “extremely shameful.”
Another protester, Motoko Kato, said she had “lost all expectations” of Takaichi, noting that Japan should have voiced opposition regarding the situation in Venezuela, but the prime minister remained silent. “If you do not speak out, it is equivalent to acquiescence and approval,” she said.
In recent days, the international community has widely condemned the U.S. military for launching a large-scale military operation in Venezuela and the forcible seizure of its president and the president’s wife.
However, Takaichi has continued to avoid making a clear statement regarding the actions of the U.S. military. While her social media posts largely echoed the Japanese Foreign Ministry’s wording, she deliberately omitted any mention of “international law,” with the focus placed solely on the safety of Japanese nationals in Venezuela, which has drawn widespread criticism from the Japanese public. ■
People attend a protest in front of the Japanese prime minister’s official residence in Tokyo, Japan, on Jan. 9, 2026. Large numbers of Japanese residents rallied in Tokyo on Friday evening to protest Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s evasive stance on U.S. military strikes against Venezuela, as well as a series of dangerous recent military policy moves by her administration. (Xinhua/Jia Haocheng)
People attend a protest in front of the Japanese prime minister’s official residence in Tokyo, Japan, on Jan. 9, 2026. Large numbers of Japanese residents rallied in Tokyo on Friday evening to protest Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s evasive stance on U.S. military strikes against Venezuela, as well as a series of dangerous recent military policy moves by her administration. (Xinhua/Jia Haocheng)
People attend a protest in front of the Japanese prime minister’s official residence in Tokyo, Japan, on Jan. 9, 2026. Large numbers of Japanese residents rallied in Tokyo on Friday evening to protest Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s evasive stance on U.S. military strikes against Venezuela, as well as a series of dangerous recent military policy moves by her administration. (Xinhua/Jia Haocheng)
People attend a protest in front of the Japanese prime minister’s official residence in Tokyo, Japan, on Jan. 9, 2026. Large numbers of Japanese residents rallied in Tokyo on Friday evening to protest Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s evasive stance on U.S. military strikes against Venezuela, as well as a series of dangerous recent military policy moves by her administration. (Xinhua/Jia Haocheng)
People attend a protest in front of the Japanese prime minister’s official residence in Tokyo, Japan, on Jan. 9, 2026. Large numbers of Japanese residents rallied in Tokyo on Friday evening to protest Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s evasive stance on U.S. military strikes against Venezuela, as well as a series of dangerous recent military policy moves by her administration. (Xinhua/Jia Haocheng)
