Japan's Youth Protest Pacifist Constitution Changes

0:00On April 22nd, Japan's young people are hitting the streets hard to defend the country's pacifist constitution, a document that's kept the nation out of wars for 80 years. Protests have exploded, drawing 36,000 folks to Tokyo's parliament last Sunday, up from just 3,600 in late February. The spark? The government's recent move to drop a ban on exporting deadly weapons, seen as a big step away from post-war peace. This constitution, drafted by the U.S. after World War II, has article 9 at its heart, where Japan forever gives up war and force in disputes. Now, with the Iran war raging in pressure from America, leaders want changes to let the military flex more, like aiding allies even if Japan isn't. Hit first. Everyday people, from kids with families to 20-somethings waving lightsticks, are chanting against Prime Minister Senai Takai Chi and calls to stop, co-zing up to the U.S. These rallies mix music, costumes, and signs, like cats over bombs, pulling in women in 30-somethings

1:05as the biggest crowds. Conservatives argue article 9 ties Japan's hands against threats from North Korea and China, especially with oil needs in the Middle East. Takai Chi's party grabbed the two-thirds supermajority in February elections, feeling pushes for reform that could recognize the self-defense forces, officially. As protests swell across generations, public support for changes hovers around 50 percent, but could flip if fears grow of getting dragged into. Foreign fights. Young voices say this is their fight for a peaceful future. Lighting up the path ahead.