November 27, 2019

Seeking to block Prime Minister Abe Shinzo’s move to revise Article 9 of the Constitution with the aim of turning Japan into a war-fighting country, a rally was held on November 26 near Omiya Station in Saitama Prefecture with over 7,000 citizens taking part.

Speaking on behalf of the organizing committee, lawyer Koide Shigeyoshi standing atop a campaign van said, “The next general election will be crucial. Let us work together to increase public movements to protect Article 9 from here in Saitama.” Representatives of three organizations, the Saitama Bar Association and Saitama locals of the Japanese Trade Union Confederation and the National Confederation of Trade Unions, in their solidarity speeches expressed their determination to foil Abe’s attempt.

Hosei University Professor Emeritus Igarashi Jin delivered a guest speech. Noting that PM Abe was recently found to have repeatedly used government-funded cherry blossom-viewing parties to entertain his supporters, Igarashi stressed, “The Abe government is rotten to the core. We need to establish a clean and reliable government.”

In response to the rally participants’ chant “Opposition parties, unite!”, representatives of pro-constitutionalism opposition parties appeared on the campaign van and made speeches.

From the Japanese Communist Party, Diet Policy Commission Chair Kokuta Keiji and two other Dietmembers took part in the rally. Kokuta in his speech pointed out that citizens’ movement and joint efforts by the opposition parties have kept constitutional revision off the Diet agenda. He said that it is important to develop opposition parties’ cooperation into the formation of a coalition government in order to create a new direction in politics that can give people hope.