Yukiko Senzaki, whose anti-war petition seeks to gain a million signatures, says the US "overstepped" Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution, which constrains the country's military to defense only.
"Japan has cited the 9th Article as grounds for denial. However, as dependence on the US grows, the likelihood of Japan acceding to US demands grows as well," Senzaki told Sputnik Japan.
"In other words, the Abe government itself seeks to push the limits of Self-Defense Forces' activities using US pressure as an excuse. I can see the implications clearly," Senzaki told Sputnik Japan.
Nearly seven decades after outlawing war as a means of settling international disputes, Tokyo reinterpreted Article 9 in the summer of 2014. The new government measure extended SDF powers by allowing them to support Japan's allies in the case of an officially declared war.
