10,000 people in Tokyo demonstrate to oppose war against Iraq

More than 10,000 people gathered in Tokyo's Hibiya Amphitheater on March 15 and took part in a demonstration in the Ginza district to voice their opposition to the U.S. war against Iraq as part of an international concerted peace action.

Many who could not enter the overflowing amphitheater attended the rally outside. All participants inside and outside of the amphitheater in unison cheered, applauded the speakers and sang a well-known Japanese song "Furusato" (hometown).

Speaking on behalf of the rally organizers, Nada Inada, writer, criticized Prime Minister Koizumi Jun'ichiro for cooperating with the U.S. war in pushing ahead with the war without a sincere reflection on the tragedies caused by the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Tokyo air raids during WWII.

Uryu Masami, playwright and stage director, said that if Japan's government really wants to be a loyal U.S. servant, it should try to stop its master's wild behavior.

Kokuta Keiji, Japanese Communist Party Diet Policy Commission chair, stated that Prime Minister Koizumi's support for the U.S. attack on Iraq without U.N. authorization is impermissible.

Arakawa Yosei, a Shinshu Otani-sect Buddhist priest, read out a resolution calling on U.S. President George W. Bush to abandon his war plans and Prime Minister Koizumi to stop following the United States and supporting its war.

Rally participants marched through the streets of the Ginza district, and were joined by many passers-by. The march, which started with 10,000 people, ended with more than 13,000 marchers.

On the same day, similar rallies and marches were held in Osaka with 1,800 people, Kyoto with 3,000, and Okinawa with 5,500 citizens. (end)