Suicide over Japan PM's collective defence policy

A man believed to be an activist against Japan's exercise of the right to collective self-defence, burned himself to death in Hibiya Park in Chiyoda Ward in Tokyo, media reported Wednesday.

This was the second self-immolation in a move to oppose the cabinet bill that the Japanese government and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe approved in July to allow the Japanese Self-Defence Forces to be able to use collective self-defence rights, according to Xinhua.

Police said they considered the case to be a suicide, adding the man left a protest note and a camera that was used to record the scene of his self-immolation, according to the Japan Times.

The note was addressed to Abe and chiefs of both chambers of the Diet, expressing opposition to the bill that granted Japan use of collective self-defense rights, public broadcaster NHK said.

Police received an emergency call reporting a fire in the park around 7 p.m. Tuesday, adding officers and firefighters put out the fire and took the man to a hospital but he was pronounced dead, NHK quoted police as saying early Wednesday.

In July, a man also burnt himself to death near Shinjuku station to protest Abe's decision to give the green light to exercise the collective self-defence rights that are considered to be against Japan's war-renouncing constitution.

Over 1,000 people, including some opposition parties' leaders, gathered in front of the Diet building Tuesday night to oppose a series of military policies that include the Special Secrecy Law and the collective defence, introduced by Abe after he took office in late 2012.

According to a recent poll, the support rate for the Abe's cabinet hit the lowest level since it was formed in December 2012 to about 44 percent, while disapproval rate for it was up 4 percentage points to 38 percent.