2009 DECEMBER 2 - DECEMBER 8

Japan Press Weekly

Japan Press Service Co., Ltd. is the only news agency providing information of progressive, democratic movements in Japan

2009 DECEMBER 9 - DECEMBER 15

Shii urges Hatoyama to negotiate with U.S. for unconditional withdrawal of Futenma base
Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo held talks with Prime Minister Hatoyama Yukio and urged the government to start negotiations with the U.S. government for the closure of the U.S. Marine Corps Futenma Air Station in Okinawa instead of seeking to resolve the issue by ‘relocating’ the base within Okinawa.

Japan Peace Conference calls for further grassroots efforts to achieve abrogation of military alliance
Amid mounting public attention on the pending issue of the U.S. Futenma base in Okinawa, the Japan Peace Conference took place calling for abrogation of the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty and removal of U.S. bases from Japan.

Business circles laid groundwork for construction of authoritarian state
The new government is now pushing ahead with various reactionary policies such as “integrating the cabinet and ruling parties” and the “banning of bureaucrats from participating in Diet discussions” on the pretext of the need to have politicians take the initiatives, apparently in line with business circles interests.