The “Stop the War! Okinawa–Western Japan Network” is a coalition formed in February 2025 by 30 organizations and individuals across 14 prefectures—including Okinawa, Kyushu, Chugoku, Shikoku, and Kansai—who came together to build nationwide solidarity in opposition to the Japanese government’s forcible push to militarize the country, such as through the domestic deployment of long‑range missiles and the construction of large ...
By Akira Fujiwara, Educational WorkerAccording to a survey by Okinawa Prefecture, from 1972—the year Okinawa reverted to Japanese sovereignty—through 2025, there were 6,409 arrests of U.S. military personnel, its civilian employees, and their families for criminal offenses under the Criminal Law. The number has continued to rise in recent years, reaching 101 cases in 2025—the first time it has exceeded ...
By Kimura Mitsuhiro, President of the Japanese Patriotic Organization Issuikai The international conference entitled “The Alliance to Prevent a Great War,” organized by the World Civilizations Initiative Research Center, was held at the Meyra Palace Hotel in Ankara on 18–19 July 2026. UWI will present the speeches held on the conference during the coming days. The conference, which featured presentations ...
Tearing off the façade of a “peaceful nation” and making the “defense industry” a pillar of growth strategy By Hiroshi Yoshizawa Ban on export of lethal weapons also lifted On April 21, 2026, the Japanese government revised the “Three Principles on Transfer of Defense Equipment and Technology” and their “Operational Guidelines” through a Cabinet decision and the National Security Council ...
Perspectives on the context and necessity of constitutional amendment By Masahiro Takasaku (Professor, Faculty of Law, Kansai University) Introduction: Movements toward Constitutional Revision “Seventy years since the party’s founding. The time has come.” “Regarding the proposal for amendment, I want to be in a position where I can say, ‘We have finally reached a point where we can see the ...
Capitalism is the consistent instigator of war By Kasane Yonemaru Published in Shiso-Undo News October, 2025 On October 20, the coalition government of the Liberal Democratic Party and Nippon Ishin (Japan Innovation Party) was formed, and the following day, the TAKAICHI Sanae Cabinet was launched. This marks the birth of an ultra-reactionary, far-right administration packed with ultra-hawkish historical revisionists and ...
Rapid advancement of building a war state. By Aiko Fujimoto Following the crushing defeat in the Upper House election, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced his resignation on September 17, with the LDP leadership election set for October 4. During this period, opinion polls showed that while some believed “there was no need to resign,” more than “he should resign.” Multiple ...
A struggle is taking place around the Okinawa military base. Here’s what its opponents say. By Shigeki Okamoto (Fukuoka Action Committee against the Warring Regime) In the recent House of Councillors election, the LDP-Komeito government became a minority ruling coalition, following the House of Representatives election in October 2024. However, the constitutionalist parties such as Japan Communist Party and the ...
The “Air of War” that infiltrates into people’s inner life spheres Interview with Ms. SHIMIZU Hayako (Miyakojima Residents’ Association for No Missile Bases) published in SHISO-UNDO July 2025, No. 176 Ms. Shimizu Hayako, who is leading the anti-base struggle in Miyako Island, which is rapidly being transformed into a missile base, recently came to Tokyo. We met with her and ...
Between Sea and Strategy By Mehmet Enes Beşer In a more divided world in which global power balances are changing, and regional tensions are mounting, Japan again stands at a strategy fork. The decision it faces is both of the past and of the present: Will it adhere to an increasingly outdated security framework rooted in neo-realist power politics, or ...