‘Unacceptable’: Japan group under fire for holding combat drills for students

The activities at the ‘junior survival school’ involved primary and secondary schoolchildren being taught how to handle toy guns

An organisation in Japan’s Saitama prefecture is under fire for holding combat drills featuring toy guns for schoolchildren amid public anxiety about growing militarisation in the country.

At the “junior survival school” run by a general incorporated association, primary and secondary schoolchildren took part in training similar to Japan Self-Defence Force (JSDF) drills and were taught how to handle toy guns, The Mainichi newspaper reported on Saturday, without naming the organisation.

According to the organisation’s website, its mission is “developing skills for social independence and survival”. Among the list of expectations for its “cadets” is “properly following orders and fostering the habit of proactive obedience based on self-awareness”.

Paid classes, taught by former JSDF personnel, were held in public facilities in Tokyo’s Itabashi and Suginami wards. In social media videos posted by the group, children wearing camouflage gear can be seen saluting and aiming toy rifles in a prone position.

A local civic group flagged the activities, saying they were contradictory to the wards’ declared image as “cities of peace”.

Former teacher Jin Takeda, 78, was alarmed when he saw the videos. Takeda, who is also secretary general for the Itabashi City Peace Group, submitted a formal complaint to the ward on behalf of the civic group.

“Allowing elementary and junior high students to hold guns, even toys, and participate in ‘combat experiences’ is utterly unacceptable,” the letter read.

Itabashi authorities said the contents of the training themselves did not violate the ward’s rules on public venue usage. However, one of the conditions for renting local community centres was that it should be for non-profit activities and, by charging, the group had breached that rule. Its permit to use Itabashi facilities was revoked on May 14.

As Suginami ward also has the same rule, officials contacted the organisation on May 19. The group voluntarily halted its use of those venues.

The pursuit of peace is enshrined in Japan’s post-World War II constitution, drafted after the country surrendered to the Allied Forces. The constitution states: “We, the Japanese people, desire peace for all time.”

Under Article 9 of the constitution, Japan is not allowed to have a military. It does, however, have the JSDF, which is armed with missiles, machine guns and other weapons found in most modern armies, according to the US Naval Institute.

Governments in recent years have been pushing for rearmament. In 2014, then prime minister Shinzo Abe approved an amendment to Article 9, allowing the JSDF to fight to defend its allies overseas.

And in 2022, Fumio Kishida’s administration revised Japan’s national security policy to allow it strike capabilities, aiming to double its defence spending to roughly 2 per cent of its gross domestic product by 2027, the National Public Radio reported.

On Constitution Memorial Day on May 3, almost 40,000 Japanese took part in a peace rally, displaying banners and voicing concerns about the growing push for militarisation, according to local media.

“We haven’t created nuclear war for 80 years, and we want you to carry on these efforts,” said 93-year-old Terumi Tanaka, co-chair of the Japan Confederation of Atom- and Hydrogen-Bomb Sufferers Organisations, according to The Japan Times.

“It’s important to build peace under Article 9,” Shoji Honda said. The 81-year-old, who takes part in the rally every year, said the constitution should not be amended.