Abe gov't forcing war bills triggers anger

People shout slogans during a rally against Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's administration and his security-related legislation in front of the parliament building in Tokyo July 15, 2015. [Photo/Agencies]

Outraged at Abe's continued autocratic steamrolling of war- related policies through parliament, the hawkish leader's systematic thwarting of the nation's pacifist constitution and unsanctioned cabinet reinterpretation of a key war-renouncing article therein, a record-breaking 60,000 people, gathered from morning until night at the Diet building, to voice their opposition to the powers that be.

"We do not accept the undemocratic way that (prime minister) Abe is running our country and moreover we stand united and growing in numbers against his war-related policies that threaten the safety and peace-loving ideology that Japanese citizens have held over the past 70 years," Tetsuya Murata, 24, a member of the Students Emergency Action for Liberal Democracy (SEALDs), a key organizer of Wednesday's demonstration, told Xinhua.

"Our generation has for many years enjoyed freedom, liberty and safety in the post-war era and we will not tolerate the current deterioration of politics in Japan, which is destabilizing the East Asian region.

"From the formation of the National Security Council to the special secrets law, Abe has been steadily and systematically leading the nation towards militarization and in doing so has hollowed out the constitution, and to protect our democratic ideals for generations to come, we, the younger generation, are leading the campaign to scrap these bills and oust the government, " an impassioned Murata explained.