Protesters gathered in Tokyo on Friday to rally against Japan’s decision to ease decades-old arms export curbs, which critics argue erode the country’s post-war pacifist tradition.

The new rules permitting the sale of lethal weapons overseas signal a major shift, as Japan ramps up its defence ambitions and seeks to enter the global arms market in part to boost economic growth.

The move, announced this week on Tuesday by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s government, has been met with some criticism and unease among the Japanese public.

Holding placards that read “Stop exporting lethal weapons!” and “No war”, dozens of protesters assembled on Friday in front of a busy railway station in the capital’s Shinjuku area.

“The government must not decide on its own,” they chanted.

Tokyo resident Ryozo Sawada said he felt “an unbearable sense of humiliation” about the policy shift.