A man committed self-immolation in the downtown of Tokyo, protesting against the new policy of the Japanese government concerning the participation of the armed forces of the country in foreign military campaigns. It was reported by the Japanese NHK television station.
The police arrived on Tuesday evening, November 11. The burnt man was found in Hibiya Park. He had a videotape and a letter addressed to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the leadership of both chambers of the parliament. In these messages, he condemned militaristic policy of the authorities. The victim was taken to the hospital, but doctors did not managed to rescue him.
In late June this year, another man died in a similar way. He was protesting the policies of Abe, who, in his opinion, was pushing the country to war. The elderly man set himself on fire at a busy intersection in Tokyo in front of hundreds of witnesses.
July 1, 2014, Japan lifted restrictions on the use of the army outside the country. According to the resolution adopted by the Japanese government, the country"s constitution is amended: the Japan Self-Defense Forces can be applied in the framework of collective defense for the protection of friendly states, even if the country itself is not attacked.
Up to this point, the Japanese units were involved in foreign operations only as part of the UN peacekeeping force. The only exception was Iraq, where Tokyo sent a contingent in 2004. There the Japanese were building roads and buildings, providing humanitarian assistance, they were strictly forbidden to take part in hostilities. During their stay in the Middle East, the Japanese troops suffered no losses and had not made a single shot. Nevertheless, in 2006 the Junichiro Koizumi was forced to withdraw troops from Iraq under the pressure of public opinion.
It is to be recalled that April 1, Japan lifted its ban on arms and military technology export which had been operated more than half a century.