May 28, 2008
Labor unions from 12 industries on May 27 held a rally in the Diet to hand over 410,000 signatures calling for the retention of the war-renouncing Article 9 of the Constitution to opposition parties, including Japanese Communist Party.
In 2004, unions representing 12 sectors, including harbor, construction, non-life insurance, higher education, and agricultural cooperatives that do not have national affiliations, formed the Labor Union Liaison Council against Adverse Revision of the Constitution.
The liaison council has collected about 1.64 million signatures since it launched a signature campaign to protect the Constitution in July 2007 and have set a goal of collecting 10 million signatures.
Stressing that every one of the 1.6 million signatures that have been collected is the expression of each individual’s commitment to defend Article 9, the Newspaper Workers' Union (Shinbunroren) Chair Saga Jiro called on participants to make efforts to further increase the signature campaign to show that the people’s voices to protect the Constitution are in the majority.
A representative of the National Federation of Construction Workers’ Unions reported to the rally that 81 Diet members, including those of the ruling Liberal Democratic and Komei parties, have agreed to act as a conduit for presenting the collected signatures to the Diet. “The movement and voices calling for the defense of the Constitution are growing and influencing the political situation.”
Speaking on behalf of the Japanese Communist Party, House of Councilor member Nihi Sohei encouraged the participants by saying, “This grassroots movement is contributing to changing the political situation. Let us increase it in firm unity.”
Four Democratic Party Dietmembers and a Social Democratic Party representative attended the rally.
In 2004, unions representing 12 sectors, including harbor, construction, non-life insurance, higher education, and agricultural cooperatives that do not have national affiliations, formed the Labor Union Liaison Council against Adverse Revision of the Constitution.
The liaison council has collected about 1.64 million signatures since it launched a signature campaign to protect the Constitution in July 2007 and have set a goal of collecting 10 million signatures.
Stressing that every one of the 1.6 million signatures that have been collected is the expression of each individual’s commitment to defend Article 9, the Newspaper Workers' Union (Shinbunroren) Chair Saga Jiro called on participants to make efforts to further increase the signature campaign to show that the people’s voices to protect the Constitution are in the majority.
A representative of the National Federation of Construction Workers’ Unions reported to the rally that 81 Diet members, including those of the ruling Liberal Democratic and Komei parties, have agreed to act as a conduit for presenting the collected signatures to the Diet. “The movement and voices calling for the defense of the Constitution are growing and influencing the political situation.”
Speaking on behalf of the Japanese Communist Party, House of Councilor member Nihi Sohei encouraged the participants by saying, “This grassroots movement is contributing to changing the political situation. Let us increase it in firm unity.”
Four Democratic Party Dietmembers and a Social Democratic Party representative attended the rally.
