August 3, 2015
“No! War bills!”, “PM Abe is a naked king!” – following the rhythm of a drum beat, 5,000 senior high school students in chorus shouted slogans and paraded through Shibuya’s main shopping street on the afternoon of August 2.
This action was called for by a group of senior high school students opposing the war bills, named T-ns Sowl. Together with senior high students, university students and many people of varied ages marched in the parade.
Holding various placards, such as, “Change the prime minister!” and “We stand up to protest the war bills!”, young protesters attracted the attention of passersby. Some spectators raised their fists showing solidarity with the protesters and waved to the demonstrators. Many people on the streets accepted flyers criticizing the war bills.
Standing on the back of a pickup truck which took a lead in the parade, T-ns Sowl member Aine, who is in the second grade of senior high school, used a microphone and said, “I prefer going shopping in Harajuku to marching through Shibuya. But, in order to protect our daily life, we have to raise our voices in protest. Even young people have to think about politics and the future Japan. I strongly oppose the war bills.”
A senior high school boy who was participating in his first protest action said, “If the war bills are enacted, people my age will be sent to battlefields. We need to be informed about this issue. I want to join more protest actions like this.”
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Later on the same day, more than 2,000 people, including childcare workers and parents, also staged a demonstration in Shibuya.
The demonstrators included those who attended the annual national meeting held for three days from August 1 to discuss ways to improve public childcare services.
A 40-year-old woman living in Tokyo’s Setagaya Ward took part in the demonstration with her husband and two children. She said, “Many citizens are voicing their opposition to the war bills at various locations throughout Japan, but the Abe administration is shutting their ears to these voices. It is unacceptable.”
Past related articles:
> Young mothers rise up in protest against war legislation [July 25 & 27, 2015]
> 11,218 scholars and researchers support appeal opposing war bills [July 21, 2015]
> Young voices against war legislation echo across Japan [July 11-14, 2015]
This action was called for by a group of senior high school students opposing the war bills, named T-ns Sowl. Together with senior high students, university students and many people of varied ages marched in the parade.
Holding various placards, such as, “Change the prime minister!” and “We stand up to protest the war bills!”, young protesters attracted the attention of passersby. Some spectators raised their fists showing solidarity with the protesters and waved to the demonstrators. Many people on the streets accepted flyers criticizing the war bills.
Standing on the back of a pickup truck which took a lead in the parade, T-ns Sowl member Aine, who is in the second grade of senior high school, used a microphone and said, “I prefer going shopping in Harajuku to marching through Shibuya. But, in order to protect our daily life, we have to raise our voices in protest. Even young people have to think about politics and the future Japan. I strongly oppose the war bills.”
A senior high school boy who was participating in his first protest action said, “If the war bills are enacted, people my age will be sent to battlefields. We need to be informed about this issue. I want to join more protest actions like this.”
**********
Later on the same day, more than 2,000 people, including childcare workers and parents, also staged a demonstration in Shibuya.
The demonstrators included those who attended the annual national meeting held for three days from August 1 to discuss ways to improve public childcare services.
A 40-year-old woman living in Tokyo’s Setagaya Ward took part in the demonstration with her husband and two children. She said, “Many citizens are voicing their opposition to the war bills at various locations throughout Japan, but the Abe administration is shutting their ears to these voices. It is unacceptable.”
Past related articles:
> Young mothers rise up in protest against war legislation [July 25 & 27, 2015]
> 11,218 scholars and researchers support appeal opposing war bills [July 21, 2015]
> Young voices against war legislation echo across Japan [July 11-14, 2015]
