A group of conservatives rallied Saturday in central Tokyo to protest the policies of the Democratic Party of Japan-led government, deriding what they called its weak diplomatic stance and its push toward joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade agreement.

According to the organizer, about 1,900 people joined the event, which featured a march from the Otemachi district to the Ginza and Hibiya areas, calling on the DPJ to step down from power.

Their criticism ranged from foreign policy, especially the DPJ's handling of the clash with China over the Senkaku Islands and Prime Minister Naoto Kan's push to join the TPP, to the party's failure to follow through on all its campaign promises in the last election.

The event was hosted by Ganbare Nippon Zenkoku Kodo Iinkai, which is chaired by former Air Self-Defense Force chief Toshio Tamogami. It drew several lawmakers, including Takeo Hiranuma, leader of Tachiagare Nippon (Sun Rise Party of Japan), as well as a range of people from the young to the elderly who share discontent with the DPJ.

"The way the DPJ runs the government is terrible," said Yutaka Hoshino, who came from Kawasaki for the protest, adding he doesn't think the DPJ is tough enough on China and South Korea.