A man set himself on fire at a bustling Tokyo intersection on Sunday in an apparent protest against Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's plan to ease Japan's military deployment limits.

According to witness accounts, the man was sitting on a mat on a pedestrian bridge of a Shinjuku intersection beside what appeared to be two bottles of gasoline. He spoke through a megaphone and spoke for about an hour to protest against "collective self-defense" which would allow the Japanese military to be deployed overseas such as in aiding an ally country under attack, according to Reuters.

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"He was sitting cross-legged and was just talking, so I thought it would end without incident. But when I came back to the same place 30 minutes later, he was still there. Then all of a sudden his body was enveloped in fire," said 18-year-old Ryuichiro Nakatsu.

"He was yelling against the government, about collective self-defense," he added.

Firefighters who seemed to have already been warned of the man's intentions were already at the scene and quickly doused the man with water. He was rushed to a nearby Tokyo hospital for treatment, The New York Times reported.

Japan's cabinet is expected to adopt the "collective self-defense" proposal as early as Tuesday in what is seen as a major step away from the post-war pacifism it adopted under Article 9 of its post-war U.S.-drafted constitution where the Japan is allowed only to use force in self-defense, according to BBC.

The change is part of Abe's plan to assert Japan's more pro-active role in its defense of allied nations under attack.

While critics warn against the possibility of increasing militarism, conservatives argue that the current restriction is a double standard that is forced to Japan.

The move is expected to heighten tensions with China on top of maritime disputes and mistrust over Japan's past military violence. However, Reuters said that the U.S. will likely welcome this change as it has long urged Japan's increased involvement in the alliance.

TagsTokyo, Self immolation, maritime dispute, China-Japan, Ryuichiro Nakatsu, collective self-defense, Shinjuku