JAPANESE PROTESTS OVER CURRENT PM

[Anchor Lead]

A protest was held in downtown Tokyo yesterday afternoon to denounce Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Despite the scorching heat wave, Japanese protesters shouted slogans calling for an end to the Abe administration's diplomatic rampage, and even to overthrow the government.

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Japanese citizens gathered in front of Shinjuku Station, one of the busiest locations in Tokyo. In the midst of a heat wave with temperatures hovering above 35 degrees, the demonstrators shouted the same anti-Abe slogans that had rung out in Korea.

[Soundbite] "Out with Abe, out with Abe."

The themes of the demonstration included "overthrow the Abe administration" and "alliance between the peoples of Korea and Japan." The people argued that the Abe government should be stopped if it continues its rightist leanings. They said that the citizens of Korea and Japan should work together to achieve such a goal.

[Soundbite] (PROTEST ORGANIZER) : "What the Japanese government is doing now is not diplomacy. It's clearly wrong."

The protesters pointed out that it was wrong of Japan to remove Korea from the list of nations with export privileges in retaliation for the Korean court's ruling on wartime forced labor. They also criticized the Abe administration's strong-arm tactic to force an art festival to halt the Statue of Peace exhibit just three days after its opening.

[Soundbite] (PROTESTER) : "We have no opportunity to learn about Japan's violent history in school. It's hard even to say something like this."

Even an opposition party member took to the stand to denounce the Abe government's actions.

[Soundbite] TAKU YAMAZOE(JAPANESE UPPER HOUSE MEMBER) : "Politics and economics should not be tied together."

The rally came to be as the result of a proposal made on a Japanese office worker's social media site. Hundreds of people immediately joined the protest, which continued for about 90 minutes. Contrary to initial concerns, a retaliatory demonstration by right-wing supporters was not held. Meanwhile, the Japanese Foreign Ministry warned its citizens to act cautiously while traveling in Korea due to frequent anti-Japanese rallies.