On October 18, reports from Japanese media indicated that various citizen groups in Japan recently submitted petitions and joint requests to local governments to protest the upcoming large-scale joint military exercises between Japan and the United States, scheduled from October 25 to November 1.
Approximately 20 citizen groups issued a joint statement on October 16, urging the cancellation of the exercises to be held on Ishigaki Island in Okinawa Prefecture. “They conduct exercises in Okinawa almost every year. We cannot allow this to happen,” said Hironobu Teraya, a representative of one of the groups.
The protesting groups plan to present their petitions to both the Okinawa Prefectural Government and the Okinawa Defense Bureau. According to a previous report by NHK, the joint military drills will take place at various airports and ports across Japan, involving around 45,000 personnel.
Additionally, on October 11, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its strong protest against Japan’s plans for joint exercises with the U.S. on Japanese territory, including areas near the Russian border, such as Hokkaido, scheduled for late October to early November.
