Shotlist FILE: Tokyo, Japan - Nov 20, 2025 1. Various of Japanese prime minister's office, pedestrians, security guards 2. Various of National Diet building, traffic Okinawa, Japan - Recent 3. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Sadako Yonamine, observer (starting with shots 1-2/ending with shot 4): "I have an extremely strong sense of crisis regarding Takaichi's statements. In my view, these are remarks that prepare for the launch of war, and I feel extremely uneasy. Initially, what was established was the National Police Reserve, has gradually evolved into the Self-defense Forces, and now it has effectively become an army. It can no longer be called the Self-defense forces. This situation obviously violates the Constitution. A defeated nation should not possess an army. There are also relevant provisions in the current United Nations that do not permit defeated nations to maintain armies. Takaichi attempts to return to the prewar path of militarism and imperialism, and I think she is a very dangerous person." FILE: Tokyo, Japan - Nov 20, 2025 4. Various of National Diet building, traffic 5. Various of pedestrians Okinawa, Japan - Recent 6. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Masayuki Sokei, observer (starting with shot 5/ending with shot 7): "Takaichi must retract her remarks and return to the path of peace and Japan-China friendship. I hope she will step down immediately. She is a very dangerous person, and I don't know what she will eventually do. I believe that Takaichi did not misspeak, but rather that she fundamentally holds these views, and they inadvertently slipped out. In a certain sense, it can be described as 'finally saying it out loud', which indicates she has no remorse whatsoever for the wars of aggression in the past." FILE: Tokyo, Japan - Nov 20, 2025 7. Various of pedestrians Storyline Two Japanese observers criticized Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi for her recent erroneous remarks on China's Taiwan, saying her inflammatory remarks in fact aim to build support for war. Sadako Yonamine, a member of a Japanese civilian group, said she believes Takaichi seeks to bring Japan back to the course of militarism and imperialism. "I have an extremely strong sense of crisis regarding Takaichi's statements. In my view, these are remarks that prepare for the launch of war, and I feel extremely uneasy. Initially, what was established was the National Police Reserve, has gradually evolved into the Self-defense Forces, and now it has effectively become an army. It can no longer be called the Self-defense forces. This situation obviously violates the Constitution. A defeated nation should not possess an army. There are also relevant provisions in the current United Nations that do not permit defeated nations to maintain armies. Takaichi attempts to return to the prewar path of militarism and imperialism, and I think she is a very dangerous person," Yonamine said. Masayuki Sokei, another civilian group member, said Takaichi's remarks demonstrate that she had not reflected on Japan's history of aggression. "Takaichi must retract her remarks and return to the path of peace and Japan-China friendship. I hope she will step down immediately. She is a very dangerous person, and I don't know what she will eventually do. I believe that Takaichi did not misspeak, but rather that she fundamentally holds these views, and they inadvertently slipped out. In a certain sense, it can be described as 'finally saying it out loud', which indicates she has no remorse whatsoever for the wars of aggression in the past," Sokei said. At a Diet (parliament) meeting on Nov. 7, 2025, Takaichi claimed that the Chinese mainland's "use of force on Taiwan" could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, which has immediately drawn strong criticism at home and abroad. Takaichi showed no remorse, refused to retract her erroneous remarks, and even continued to defend herself on various occasions. [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]