Peace activists are divided but many are guardedly optimistic on what to expect after the crushing election defeat suffered by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his Liberal Democratic Party.

At rallies to mark the 62nd anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, several pacifist opinion leaders said they see signs of change to what they view has been a "conservative swing" in Japanese society.

Shingo Fukuyama, secretary general of the Japan Congress Against A- and H-Bombs, or Gensuikin, which arranged a series of peace forums in Osaka, Hiroshima and Nagasaki this summer, said events may be breaking in the organization's favor.