May Day rallies take place at 369 locations across Japan

   Calling for struggles against the accelerated move to adversely revise the Constitution and the increasing poverty and social gaps, the 78th May Day rallies took place at 369 venues throughout Japan on May 1.

   At the main venue in Tokyo’s Yoyogi Park, some 42,000 workers and citizens assembled in the rain with placards and colorful balloons.

   On behalf of the organizing committee, National Confederation of Trade Unions (Zenroren) President Ban’nai Mitsuo called on workers to band together with other sectors of the public in order to remake Japan.

   Ban’nai pointed out that the government has created a society exacerbating the law of the jungle, discrimination, and poverty, and that it is attempting to turn Japan into a nation fighting wars abroad by changing Article 9.

   Stressing the need to drive the government and business circles into a corner and to change the power balance in the Diet in the upcoming House of Councilors election, he said, “Under the Constitution, we are the protagonists of this country. With workers and other sectors of the public united, we will be able to change this society.”

   Ban’nai called on participants to further increase their movements in order to reduce social gaps and poverty, win stable employment and improved wages, and defend the Constitution.

   Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo who spoke in solidarity said, “Let us advance the social struggle to repel the increasing poverty and disparities and form a majority of the public in opposition to adverse revision of the Constitution by advancing grassroots movements!”

   Citing the wartime sex slave issue, Shii said, “The fact that the forces glorifying Japan’s past war of aggression and militarism ? the pro-Yasukuni group - are sitting at the center of the constitutional revision advocates poses grave problems in Japan and abroad.” He called for people’s solidarity in order to foil the reactionary move reverting to a militarist Japan.

   Representatives of young workers and part-time workers expressed their determination to struggle. After the rally, participants marched in demonstration on three routes.                                 - Akahata, May 2, 2007