Zenroren and Rengo hold sit-in to foil wartime legislation

Japan's major national trade union centers each held sit-ins in front of the Diet building on May 29 demanding that the bills on wartime legislation and the revision of the medical insurance system be withdrawn.

People from the National Confederation of Trade Unions (Zenroren) and the Japanese Trade Union Confederation (Rengo), and the National Council of Trade Unions (Zenrokyo), the National Federation of Construction workers' Unions (Zen ken soren), the Liaison Council of Civil Aviation Workers' Unions, and several other unions filled the street in front of the Diet building, with colorful flags and banners.

Five monks of the Japan Buddha Sangha, members of the Peace Network of People of Faith, played the drum. Japanese Communist Party members of the Diet encouraged the participants.

A member of the Meteorological Agency Workers' Union who came to join the demonstration from Okinawa said, "Since weather information could not be announced in wartime as they were 'military secrets,' it caused disasters during WW II. To avoid the same tragedy, we protest against the wartime legislation." (end)