On December 26, 2025, Japan’s cabinet approved a jaw-dropping defense budget plan for fiscal year 2026: over ¥9 trillion! If the Diet green-lights it early next year, defense spending will smash previous records again ⚠️.
CGTN and Renmin University’s Institute for International Communication in the New Era surveyed 17,043 people across 29 countries between November 8 and December 18, asking global citizens aged 18–65 about Japan’s defense shift and historical issues. The results? Eye-opening 📊:
- 81.5% see PM Sanae Takaichi as a historical revisionist, war perpetrator, peace saboteur and provocateur 🔍
- 88% view visits to Yasukuni Shrine 🏯 — which honors Class-A WWII war criminals — as denial of Japan’s aggression history and a provocation to victimized nations
- 87.7% condemn Japan’s handling of historical issues as a challenge to the post-WWII order
- 89.4% urge caution in official words and actions around history
- 86.7% of Asian respondents say Japan must face its past to return as a 'normal nation' in the international community
Japan has also revamped security policies, amping up weapons exports and loosening military constraints. Yet 78.6% believe this clashes with its pacifist constitution. And 73.2% fear a return to militarism — concerns run higher among 18–44 year-olds 🔥.
As for Japan’s ties with neighbors, 87.7% say these moves have hurt healthy relations. A strong 85.4% call for concrete steps to rebuild trust; support rises to 88.1% among Asian respondents 🤝.
With regional tensions shaping the outlook across South and Southeast Asia, youth voices are sending a clear message: stay vigilant, learn from history, and push for peace ✌️.
Reference(s):
Young people urge high vigilance against Japan's high defense budget
cgtn.com
