September 24, 2022

In response to a call from the Fridays for Future (FFF) Japan, many young Japanese on September 23 took to the streets at various locations, including Tokyo, Sendai, and Okayama, to join the “Global Climate Strike” which took place on this day to push world leaders participating in the UN General Assembly to urgently implement climate actions.

In Tokyo, holding a banner that read, “Climate change, a grave threat to life!”, 400 young people marched through Tokyo’s busiest shopping district of Shibuya. Their chants, such as “We are the ones who save the earth!”, attracted public attention. Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Councilors Kira Yoshiko also took part in the march.

A woman working at a manufacturer of snowboards and outdoor gear, Ishikawa Satomi, participated in the march together with 40 co-workers. She said, “I think, global warming has led to less winter snowfall, which becomes a make-or-break issue for my company. At the same time, my company, as a corporation in the manufacturing business, should recognize its corporate responsibility to tackle the ongoing climate crisis.”

In Sendai, holding placards that read, “Stop coal-fired thermal power generation!”, FFF activists held a street speech near Sendai Station. They pointed out that the Japanese government sticks to a policy of promoting the export of coal-fired power generation technologies under the pretext of international cooperation and that Sumitomo Corporation plays a part in the construction of a coal-fired power plant in Bangladesh. They called on passersby to join hands with them to put a stop to such acts.