In his speech at the Yokohama event on Constitution Day, Nobel Prize-winning writer Kenzaburo Oe voiced his concerns over Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s speech to a joint session of the U.S. Congress on April 29, in which he pledged to strengthen cooperation between Japan’s Self-Defense Forces and the U.S. military.

“Japan is willing to become a hearty partner of the U.S.-led war around the world,” said Oe, 80. “It would be the last time for an old man like me to speak in front of this many people, but I am determined to continue working to defend the Constitution.”