March 8, 2026
A rally aimed at putting pressure on Mitsubishi Heavy Industries not to manufacture long-range missiles took place on March 7 near the company’s factory in Aichi’s Komaki City.
It is believed that the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Komaki North Plant produces most of the long-range missiles which the Takaichi government plans to deploy to Self-Defense Forces bases across Japan.
The rally was hosted by six anti-war civil groups including the Aichi Prefectural Peace Committee. Japanese Communist Party member Motomura Nobuko, former House of Representatives lawmaker, participated in the rally.
Nagoya Gakuin University Professor Iijima Shigeaki pointed out that in WWII, Nagoya was subjected to U.S. air raids due to the existence of the Imperial Japanese military’s facilities there. He called on rally participants to voice opposition to the manufacturing of missiles at the MHI plant.
After the rally, the participants marched in demonstrations through downtown Komaki City to attract citizens’ support for their protest against the MHI’s production of long-range missiles.
On the previous day, a similar action also took place in front of the MHI head office in Tokyo.
Sugihara Koji of a civil group objecting to Japan’s arms trade noted that the ruling Liberal Democratic Party recently made a proposal to the government to fully lift the ban on exports of lethal weapons. He said, “It is Mitsubishi Heavy Industries that seeks to gain profits from the expansion of Japan’s arms exports. Let us raise our voices calling on the manufacturer not to become yet again a major global ‘merchant of death’!”
A member of a civil group opposing the plan to deploy long-range missiles in Shizuoka Prefecture, Takeuchi Yasuhito, pointed out that during the prewar and wartime period, Mitsubishi Heavy obtained huge profits through arms production. He criticized the company for intending to benefit from manufacturing weapons again without reflecting on its past history.
It is believed that the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Komaki North Plant produces most of the long-range missiles which the Takaichi government plans to deploy to Self-Defense Forces bases across Japan.
The rally was hosted by six anti-war civil groups including the Aichi Prefectural Peace Committee. Japanese Communist Party member Motomura Nobuko, former House of Representatives lawmaker, participated in the rally.
Nagoya Gakuin University Professor Iijima Shigeaki pointed out that in WWII, Nagoya was subjected to U.S. air raids due to the existence of the Imperial Japanese military’s facilities there. He called on rally participants to voice opposition to the manufacturing of missiles at the MHI plant.
After the rally, the participants marched in demonstrations through downtown Komaki City to attract citizens’ support for their protest against the MHI’s production of long-range missiles.
On the previous day, a similar action also took place in front of the MHI head office in Tokyo.
Sugihara Koji of a civil group objecting to Japan’s arms trade noted that the ruling Liberal Democratic Party recently made a proposal to the government to fully lift the ban on exports of lethal weapons. He said, “It is Mitsubishi Heavy Industries that seeks to gain profits from the expansion of Japan’s arms exports. Let us raise our voices calling on the manufacturer not to become yet again a major global ‘merchant of death’!”
A member of a civil group opposing the plan to deploy long-range missiles in Shizuoka Prefecture, Takeuchi Yasuhito, pointed out that during the prewar and wartime period, Mitsubishi Heavy obtained huge profits through arms production. He criticized the company for intending to benefit from manufacturing weapons again without reflecting on its past history.
